


Unbelievable

by optimistic-violinist (Britt30)



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Gen, Happy ending though, Hurt/Comfort, because what else is the purpose of bh6 fics, callaghan puts together an evil team, hiro gets kidnapped, little bit traumatised, some violence depicted but not overly graphic, tadashi lives fic, thank you deleted scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 33,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23601451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Britt30/pseuds/optimistic-violinist
Summary: Fred, Gogo, Honey Lemon, and Wasabi are waiting for Heathcliff to pick them up from Akuma Island when they hear a loud noise from inside the facility. What will they find and what are the repercussions?
Relationships: Fred | Fredzilla & Wasabi-No Ginger & Hiro Hamada & Tadashi Hamada & Honey Lemon & Gogo Tomago, Tadashi Hamada/Honey Lemon
Comments: 26
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends! I'm uploading this from FF.net, so it's already completed, but I'll probably be uploading a chapter a day. Thanks for reading!

"He just left us here!" shouted Gogo as she kicked the wall angrily. The four friends were standing (or in Gogo's case, pacing), around the ruined portal laboratory.

"I'm sure he'll be back," Honey Lemon defended Hiro weakly.

"Chill guys," said Fred. "I'll call Heathcliff and he can pick us up in the family chopper."

"You have a helicopter?" Wasabi asked from his spot by the wall.

"Technically my dad's," Fred replied as he dialed the number. They waited in silence as he made his call. Seconds after he hung up, there was a faint bang, as if something had crashed into one of the metal walls of the facility. The four of them looked at each other, startled. They heard it again.

"What is that?" Honey asked quietly, clutching her purse for protection.

"No idea," muttered Gogo. The noise happened a third time and she wheeled to the door and peered into the hallway. She turned around and beckoned to the other three.

"Well don't just stand there. Come on."

"Uh, where are we going?" Wasabi asked.

"To find out what's making that noise."

"Does anyone else think this is a bad idea?" he protested, but everyone was already headed towards the door.

"It's coming from farther in the building," remarked Fred as they heard it again. "Let's go!" Honey, Gogo, and Fred jogged down the hallway and Wasabi followed reluctantly.

"Seriously guys? We have no idea what's in here!" The four friends stopped at an intersection and waited for the bang before following it again. They kept going straight and turned left at the next intersection.

"What do you think it is?" asked Honey Lemon in a whisper as they turned another corner and waited for the noise. She jumped as the collision echoed through the hallway. It was much closer now, but the sounds were coming farther apart.

"Maybe some mutant creature with three heads that Callaghan was going to unleash on the city," speculated Fred excitedly.

"Sure Fred," said Wasabi, completely used to his friend's wild theories. The sound came again, but was fainter. "I think we took a wrong turn." They back tracked until they found where they had gone wrong and turned left down another corridor. The daylight that had been streaming through the ceiling vents was fading fast, so Honey took out her phone and turned on the flashlight app.

"We must be getting close," muttered Gogo as they crept down the hall. Bang! The four of them jumped.

"It's gotta be coming from somewhere in this hallway," whispered Fred. They went slower now, knowing that the next collision would reveal the noise's location. The four of them slowed to a near stop as they waited in tense apprehension. It had been nearly three minutes since the last one.

"Do you think it st-" Honey was cut off my the echoing thud from the door right next to them. The four friends jumped something fierce; Honey was the only one to use her tech, throwing a chem ball at the door and Fred hit his head on the ceiling. The door in front of them was thick steel, same as the rest, but a huge piece of paneling had been wrapped around the door handles and secured firmly. Whatever was in there certainly wasn't getting out on it's own. There was an expectant pause and then a soft rapping from the other side of the door. Everyone looked at Gogo who rolled her eyes and rapped softly back. They were surprised by the three loud responding pounds and Wasabi was pretty sure he could hear someone yelling from the other side.

"Someone's in there." He got close to the door and yelled through the crack, "Hey! You in there! Stand back, we're gonna get you out!" There was a shout of affirmation from inside. Wasabi shook himself out and activated his laser hands before slicing through layers of reinforced steel. He gave it a push and the steel block fell back into the cell. Gogo had her disks ready as Honey lifted her phone to illuminate the cell. They all gasped at what was inside.

A very dirty and gaunt Tadashi Hamada stared back at them.

"Unbelievable," he murmured and passed out.


	2. Be Careful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro's in for a surprise phone call.

Hiro wiped his eyes and smiled a bit at the picture of Tadashi staring back at him.

"Thanks Baymax," he said. Suddenly the picture of Tadashi faded from Baymax's stomach and was replaced with an "Incoming Call" screen.

"You are receiving a call from Honey Lemon," Baymax informed. Hiro wiped his eyes one more time and said,

"Answer it."

Honey's smiling face filled the screen.

"Hiro! Hi! Oh thank goodness. Are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine Honey. I'm good now. What about you guys? Ah crap," he said, finally coming to a realization, "I just left you guys there huh. I'll come pick you guys up right now."

"No, no! It's fine Hiro. Heathcliff picked us up in a helicopter."

"Fred has a helicopter?"

"Technically my dad's," said Fred cutting in. "Hey Hiro!" Hiro waved. From somewhere off camera a faint voice requested to talk to him, but he couldn't make out who it was.

"Yeah, sure," said Honey Lemon. "See you soon Hiro."

"Bye." The phone was handed over and he was completely unprepared for who stared back at him.

"Hey Hiro," said Tadashi.

Hiro couldn't breathe for a moment. Or talk. Or really even think. A choking noise came out.

"Hiro?" Baymax said. "Do you require medical assistance?"

"Hiro? You there?" Tadashi asked.

"Tadashi?" Hiro finally squeaked out. His brother smiled.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Y-you're alive?"

"Barely," he replied and ran a hand over his thin face. His normally bright eyes were sunk in and his cheeks hollowed out. He was covered in a film of ash and dust.

"How?" Hiro choked out. Tadashi replied slowly, as if each word were a struggle to form and get out.

"Callaghan used the microbots to shield me from the fire, but then he seemed to realize he couldn't let me go, but I could tell he didn't want to kill me himself either. So he took me to that island and locked me in a small lab." He seemed tired after saying that much in one go. Honey chimed in from off screen.

"He's suffering from mild to severe starvation and thirst. We're taking him to the San Fransokyo West Hospital right now."

"Yeah," Tadashi continued. "Thankfully there was a mini fridge with a little food in it and um, a toilet," he said a bit awkwardly. "But hey water is water."

"Yeah," Hiro murmured. "How far away are you guys?"

"About 15 minutes out sir," Heathcliff responded.

"I'll meet you guys there," Hiro said. Tadashi smiled again.

"See you soon bro." Hiro smiled back.

"See you soon Dashi."

::::

"Aunt Cass! Aunt Cass!" Hiro called racing up the stairs. She quickly turned away from her soap opera to look at her nephew.

"What? What's wrong? And what are you wearing?" Hiro looked down at his purple suit and realized he would have a lot to explain.

"It's a long story," he said. "But we need to get to the San Fransokyo West Hospital right now."

"Why? Are you hurt?" she asked, getting up.

"No, no. Tadashi's alive. They're taking him there."

"Woah, what? Hiro, Tadashi is-"

"Aunt Cass, I literally just talked to him on the phone. Let's go and I'll explain on the way!" He ran halfway down the stairs, then ran back up. "Actually, can I fly over on Baymax and meet you there? Please?"

"Since when can Baymax fly?" Aunt Cass asked bewilderdly.

"I've made some upgrades. So can I?"

"Um, yeah, sure, just be-"

"Thanks Aunt Cass! Last hug!" He hugged her then ran down the stairs.

"Careful."

::::

"Come on Baymax! Let's go!" Baymax took off and they headed toward San Fransokyo Bay. It would be quickest to cut across the water and into the city. Baymax blinked.

"You are showing increased neurotransmitter levels indicating you are, happy. Now that we know Tadashi is alive, do you still want to catch Professor Callaghan?" Hiro didn't answer for a minute.

"Let's not talk about that right now. Right now, we need to go see- OOF!" Something hit Hiro in the chest with enough force to crack a rib and sent him sailing off of Baymax and toward the water. The robot quickly dived and would've caught him, if he hadn't been knocked off course by a column of…

Microbots.

"Baymax!" Hiro screamed, as he flailed through the air. One of the robot's wings had broken off and he was spiraling toward the ocean, but the microbots caught him first and punctured through his armour before flinging him into the water.

"Hiro," he said, right before he started to sink.

Suddenly, Hiro wasn't falling anymore either. Microbots swarmed him, and while they kept him from falling, they were also squeezing him extraordinarily tight.

Gotta get out gotta get out new angle new angle how…

While Hiro was desperately looking for a solution, Professor Callaghan appeared in front of him.

"You and I are going to take a little trip," he whispered menacingly, then took off across the bay, with Hiro in his clutches.

::::

Aunt Cass arrived at the hospital, got the room number, and rushed in. Hiro had been right. There lay her oldest nephew surrounded by his friends, who were wearing suits similar to Hiro's.

"Oh Tadashi!" she cried and went and tackled him in a hug as best she could.

"Hey Aunt Cass," he groaned. She finally let go and looked him over, before putting a hand to her mouth and trying to hold back tears.

"What happened to you?" she asked quietly. She glanced around. "And where's Hiro?" The others looked between themselves.

"You mean he's not with you?" Honey Lemon asked.

"No, he said he was gonna fly over on Baymax and meet me here." Everyone got a sick feeling in their stomachs, none more so than Tadashi, who also turned a shade paler, making him look even more gaunt.

"I'll call him," said Honey and dialed the number for Baymax, but it went straight to messages. "That can't be good."

"Hiro?" Fred asked trying the comms. "Hiro, where are you? Come in."

"Fred," came a reply hiss. "Microbots- Callaghan- bay- help!" Then the line went dead. Tadashi and Aunt Cass who couldn't hear the message looked worriedly between the friends' faces.

"What's wrong?" Tadashi asked. "Tell me what's wrong!" Gogo spoke up.

"Callaghan's got Hiro."


	3. In the Dark

“Unbelievable,” Tadashi murmured “Un-freaking-believable. This can’t be happening. This can’t…” He trailed off, digging his palms into his eyes. He can’t believe he had gotten back just for this to happen. What did Callaghan want with Hiro anyways?

“Can someone explain to me what’s going on?” Aunt Cass asked. The four of them jumped right to it while Tadashi was lost in his own thoughts. As Wasabi was explaining something, Honey’s phone rang. It was a number she didn’t recognize. She stepped outside to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hello. I am Baymax. Is Tadashi there?”

“Baymax!” Everyone turned to look at her and she blushed. “Oh yeah, he’s here.” She handed the phone over to Tadashi.

“Hello?”

“Tadashi.” If Tadashi hadn’t known better he would’ve thought the robot sounded relieved. “Professor Callaghan attacked Hiro and I above the bay. He has taken Hiro.”  
“Yeah, we know. What about you?”

“The microbots punctured my armour and vinyl, allowing water to get inside. I figured I should let you know.”

“Good thinking Baymax. Where are you?” Baymax gave an address and Tadashi told him to stay put, then hung up.

“Baymax is barely functional and waiting at Pier 32. You guys said Hiro put a stronger sensor in him right? We can find Hiro with that. Gogo, can you find him and get him back to the cafe?”

“I’m fast, but I’m not that strong,” she had to admit. 

“Wasabi, go with her. Fred, canvas the bay and see if Callaghan’s still in the open; we need to find him quick.”

“Sure thing.”

“What about me?” Honey asked. Tadashi smiled.

“I need you and Aunt Cass to convince the doctors to let me go home.” Everyone, of course, shouted, “No!”, firmly shutting down this idea. No matter how Tadashi tried to convince them, none of his friends would budge.

“You are at least staying overnight mister,” declared Aunt Cass. “And that’s final.”

Frankly, by this point, Tadashi didn’t have the strength to argue. His friends left on their respective missions and a nurse came in soon afterward with a bowl of broth. She set the bowl down with a kind smile and left. Tadashi reached for it but doubted he had the strength to pick it up. 

“Here, let me,” Honey Lemon advised kindly. 

“Thanks,” he replied, trying desperately not to be humiliated. He ate the whole bowl and drank some water and suddenly, he could barely keep his eyes open. 

“Wake me… if…”

“We will,” she assured him.

But he was already asleep.

:::::::::::::::::::

Gogo and Wasabi dragged the deflated, surprisingly heavy form of Baymax into the garage and dumped it on the floor. 

“Now I know how he can lift a thousand pounds,” Gogo panted.

“Yeah,” replied Wasabi, breathing heavily. “No kidding.” 

They stood there a moment longer, catching their breath, before Gogo started taking pieces of armour off of Baymax and setting them aside. Wasabi helped her and in a few minutes all that was left was the original white robot with a huge gash through his vinyl.

“We should try and get the water out,” commented Wasabi. “Don’t want anything to rust.”

They worked in companionable silence, draining and then drying the vinyl and skeleton. When they were done, Gogo pressed his little chest plate and the two cards popped out. She carefully pulled them out and dried them, with a surprisingly gentle touch. Wasabi’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out.

“It’s Fred. He didn’t find anything at the bay and it’s too dark to do anything else.” It buzzed again. “Honey. Tadashi’s asleep. Doctor says he’s gonna be fine; they might keep him for a couple of night. She’s gonna head home.”

“Tell her and Fred to come here instead,” Gogo replied.

“Uh, why?”

“We’ve got work to do.”

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

When Tadashi awoke, it was dark. That was enough to freak him out. He thought he was out of that dark, lifeless room for good. He quickly realized that he could in fact see. The monitors around him emitted a soft glow and he saw on the clock that it was a little past four in the morning. The next thing he noticed was that he was alone.

“Aunt Cass?” he asked quietly, hating himself for sounding like a four year old, but that’s how he felt. The walls and the darkness seemed to be closing in and not even the gentle whirring of machines could calm his panic. He didn’t want to be alone. Didn’t want to feel that soul crushing emptiness again. _Where was everyone?  
Breathe Tadashi, breathe. You aren’t alone. You’re safe now. You’re not a- ___

__Wait a minute. He looked to his bedside and saw the ‘call nurse’ button. He frantically pressed it. A moment later, light washed into the dark room as a different nurse entered._ _

__“Can I get you something?” she asked quietly._ _

__“Um yeah. Is my aunt still here?” The nurse smiled._ _

__“Yes, she got a phone call. She’ll be back in a moment. Is there anything else?” His stomach rumbled._ _

__“Can I get some food?” he asked with the touch of a smile. She laughed._ _

__“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” She left._ _

__Tadashi sighed. The overwhelming panic was gone and he could breathe and think normally again. He spied the glass of water on the bedside table that was just a little too far away. Tadashi placed his hands against the bed and tried to sit up, but only got up a few inches before he fell back down._ _

__And that was when he noticed his arms._ _

__He hadn’t seen himself for a month, (still hadn’t seen his face yet, come to think of it), but he finally noticed just how bad of shape he was in._ _

__His arms were twigs. Barely any muscle or fat on them at all. He could wrap his entire hand around his wrist and then some. Tadashi clicked the little ‘light’ button on his bedside remote so he could see better, and then peered down his hospital gown._ _

__Oh gosh. He could see every rib. He was so freaking thin. Seeing the results of his imprisonment, he was taken back to some of the worst nights, when he wished he had died in the fire. It would’ve been a lot quicker than starving, that’s for sure._ _

__“Stop it,” he told himself out loud, trying to claw his way back to the present and the sweet light. “Stop it. You’re okay. You got rescued. You’re gonna be okay,” he said with resolve. And then with even more determination,_ _

__“And so is Hiro.”_ _

__::::::::::::::::::::::::_ _

___Earlier that evening… _____

____Honey and Fred entered the garage and took in the sight of Baymax laying on the floor and Gogo and Wasabi spread out on the couch. They got up as the other two arrived._ _ _ _

____“‘Bout time,” Gogo muttered._ _ _ _

____“Why did you want us to come here?” Honey asked. Gogo nodded to the figure on the floor._ _ _ _

____“We need to fix Baymax.”_ _ _ _

____“Uh, Gogo, in case you haven’t noticed,” said Fred, gesturing from inside the suit. “None of us are robotics majors.”_ _ _ _

____“That’s what I keep trying to tell her,” Wasabi sighed, crossing his arms. She looked up at him angrily._ _ _ _

____“Hiro just got kidnapped, our best friend just came back from the dead, and the one person who might be able to help both of them is out of commision, and you don’t even want to try and fix him?” she snarled. The other three stood in the shaming silence._ _ _ _

____Finally, Honey said hopefull, “We can try.” Gogo put her hand out in the middle of them._ _ _ _

____“For Tadashi,” she said. Honey put hers on top._ _ _ _

____“For Hiro.”_ _ _ _

____“For Baymax,” said Fred, putting in a reptilian hand. They all looked to Wasabi, who looked them steadily in the eye and put his hand in too._ _ _ _

____“For the Hamadas.”_ _ _ _


	4. Taking Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to catch up with Callaghan and get back in pace with the movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading and all your kind reviews!

Hiro struggled against the microbots as he and Callaghan sped low over the water, but to no avail. The microbots had a firm hold, so firm that it was hard to breathe. Hiro finally gave up, knowing that even if he was able to free himself, he’d just fall into the water a couple miles off shore in the dark, and that wouldn’t get him anywhere.

Eventually, they started to slow down and Callaghan landed roughly on the island they had left just hours before. Instead of letting Hiro down, he just entered the facility with the microbots carrying Hiro behind him. 

Callaghan marched down the hall and into the portal room and just stood there, staring at the destroyed experiment. Hiro was really considering saying something when Callaghan spoke.

“You almost ruined my plans Hiro. You and your brother.”

“He’s alive,” Hiro blurted out. Callaghan turned around quickly and though he still had the mask on, Hiro could tell he was shocked and mad.

“How did you know that?” he growled. 

“The-the others found him after you left,” Hiro stammered out. Callaghan swore and flung Hiro into the wall in anger. He cried out and slumped against the floor, but was still conscious.

“That was my mistake then,” Callaghan muttered. “And I’m not about to let it happen again." The microbots scooped Hiro back up and they and Callaghan charged through the halls and deeper into the facility.

In his mind though Hiro was torn between beating himself up for speaking out and freaking out because Callaghan was going to kill him! Literally!

And then his head was throbbing again and he thought he felt blood trickle down the back of his neck. How hard had Callaghan thrown him?

Suddenly, Callaghan stopped in the middle of an intersection and started muttering.

“No, no, can’t waste this opportunity. So close now, can’t mess it up.” He turned left and then charged down a stairwell, deeper and deeper, colder and colder, darker and darker. Finally, they reached the bottom and turned a corner arriving at a steel door. Callaghan tugged it open, then made the microbots fling Hiro inside. He hit the wall with a yelp and slid down onto the cold, wet floor.

“Woah, wait, what are you doing with me?” he yelled as Callaghan started to close the door.

“Call it leverage.” Then he closed the door.

Hiro couldn't see a thing. He was sitting in frigid water and quickly stood up and started to move around; he had to stay warm. As he was pacing, he felt water get into his shoes soak his socks.

And the water was still rising.

::::::::::::::::

“There. Are we done now?” Wasabi asked, wiping his brow. The four of them stepped away from the recently repaired Baymax, who lay on the floor.

“Let’s find out,” said Gogo. She grabbed the cards and put them back in Baymax’s chest plate. There was a whirring noise and Baymax blinked.

“I am flat,” he remarked. The four friends laughed in triumph and relief.

“Let’s get you to a charging station,” said Honey, and she and Fred lifted him up and carried him to the charging station in the corner.Honey checked the clock on the desk and remarked that it was about four am.

"Has Hiro been found yet?" Baymax asked.

"No. We were thinking you could scan for him once you can fly again," explained Honey. Baymax blinked.

"I am afraid that my stronger sensor and part of my memory was destroyed due to water damage. I no longer have any patients in my database." Gogo cursed, Wasabi rubbed his face, and the others looked downcast.

"We'll have to find him on our own then," said Fred.

"There's a whole city to search!" Wasabi cried.

"Not necessarily," said Gogo. "I'm pretty sure we can narrow it down to a few places if we try."

“I’m gonna call Cass and see how Tadashi’s doing and tell her what we’ve done here. While I do that, do you guys want to pull those files up that we downloaded from the island?” Honey said. She handed Wasabi the flash drive and he set to it.

Honey waited as the phone rang. Cass might not be up yet, but she figured she would try. A moment later, someone answered the phone.

“Hrmello?” came the tired voice.

“Cass? It’s Honey Lemon. Did I wake you?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, but I was just dozing. What’s up?”

“We brought Baymax back to the garage and fixed him up. How’s Tadashi doing?”

“I just saw a nurse take some broth in, so I would assume good.”

"Honey," Wasabi interrupted. "You've got to see this." Honey moved over to the computer to watch the video Wasabi had pulled up, and saw Callaghan try and attack Krei.

"But why..."

"There's more," said Fred and Wasabi pulled up the scene of Callaghan hugging the pilot.

"Wait, is that?"

"Yep," confirmed Gogo. "Callaghan's daughter."

::::::::::::::::::::::

Back in the hospital, Tadashi had just finished his bowl of soup and was currently flipping through TV channels when Aunt Cass walked back in.

"Yeah, do you want to talk to him?" She handed the phone over to Tadashi and he said, "Hello?"

"Tadashi, it's Honey. We just found more info on Callaghan." Tadashi shuddered as the name brought back mixed memories, but quickly replied,

"What did you find?" Apparently he was on speaker because Fred replied,

"He's after Krei! Krei killed his daughter!"

"Woah, what!"

"Fred!" everyone on the other side cried.

"Ok," he continued. "Technically she was the pilot in the portal experiment disaster and now he wants revenge!" 

"We need to figure out what he's gonna do and when," Gogo remarked. Tadashi was still absent mindlessly flipping through channels and finally stopped.

"Uh, guys. I think I just found those answers." On the screen was a news report on the grand opening of a new Krei Tech facility scheduled for that day.

::::::::::::::::

At nine am, the hospital finally let the four of them in, with much griping from the doctors about proper rest.

"Did you guys sleep at all?" Tadashi asked them. Wasabi yawned.

"We got a couple hours." Then he turned to glare at Fred, who was nearly bouncing off the walls even without his suit.

"Let's get this thing started!" he yelled and they all shushed him.

"We brought someone else too," said Gogo and held the door open for a de-suited Baymax to walk in; Tadashi could've cried he was so happy to see his robot.

"Tadashi," remarked Baymax, who sounded surprisingly happy for a robot.

"Hey Baymax. How are you feeling?"

"Gogo, Wasabi, Fred, and Honey Lemon repaired me exceptionally well. My armour is currently being reprinted in the lab."

"Glad to hear it," he replied and turned to his friends. "Thank you guys so much for fixing him. It means a lot." They all replied with varying degrees of welcome.

"Here's your laptop," Honey Lemon said and handed it to him. "Like you asked."

"We also raided your closet and brought a few changes of clothes," Wasabi said and placed the bag on the floor.

"Sweet. Thanks guys."

"Back to the matter at hand though," began Gogo. "You said there's a new Krei Tech facility opening today?"

"Yeah. It starts at ten, so we don't have much time."

"Tadashi, there is no way-"

"I'm going with you guys; I know. But I figured I could tap into the comms and Baymax's video feed." The rest of them nodded; that worked. They spent another half hour or so going over possible scenarios, which made Aunt Cass more nervous by the minute. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore.

"You all better be careful! Because if you aren't, if-if you guys don't come back either." She paused to hold back tears. "Then so help me, I will bring you back from the dead and kill you again myself." Honey quickly moved to comfort her and Tadashi held her hand.

"We'll be careful Cass," Wasabi reassured her.

"Yeah," murmured Gogo.

"We'll come back," said Fred.

"And we'll get Hiro back too," said Honey quietly.

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hiro's teeth wouldn't stop chattering and he was having trouble breathing; stupid cracked rib. The water was well past his knees now, but he kept sloshing through it and rubbing his arms, trying to generate some heat. 

How long had he been in here? How many times had he ran into the walls? How much longer...? He wished he'd put his watch on   
today.

He knew he'd be in real trouble when he stopped shivering; hypothermia wouldn't be far behind and then…  
Well, he tried not to think of then.

::::::::::::::::

_10 am… ___

__The four friends (and newly equipped Baymax), ran up to the Krei Tech building, just as microbots were lifting the portal into place. They saw Callaghan threatening Krei and he turned as he heard them run up._ _

__"I knew you would come here," he said, as he used the microbots to pin Krei to a sign by the building._ _

__"Tell us where Hiro is!" Gogo shouted at him._ _

__"Oh, so you know I have your friend. This will go much quicker then." He flew closer to them. "If you try and stop me, I will make sure you never see Hiro Hamada again."_ _

__"Wait, Hiro Hamada?" Krei shouted. "That kid from the exhibition? You kidnapped a child? You're a-" He was cut off when Callaghan gestured violently and the sign was ripped off and sent spiraling towards the portal. Baymax reacted quickly, and managed to grab Krei before he entered the portal. While Callaghan was distracted the rest of them attacked._ _

__Tadashi watched on his laptop as each of his friends were incapacitated by the microbots and Baymax was slowly covered by them. The comms in his ear was going wild with everyone calling for backup. Finally he spoke up._ _

__"Listen up! Use those big brains of yours to think your way around the problem; look for a new angle!"_ _

__He listened and watched as each of his friends reported back that they were free and he breathed a sigh of relief._ _

__"Baymax! Rocket fist!" he commanded. Baymax obliged and soon he was back in the air. As he watched through Baymax's eyes, he couldn't help but notice the microbots getting sucked into the portal._ _

__"Guys! Guys! Forget the mask! Go for the microbots! They'll get sucked into the portal!"_ _

__"Got it!" the team called._ _

__The new strategy was working! Callaghan was losing bots at a massive rate and he was starting to panic. The building was also disintegrating at a massive rate.  
Eventually, Callaghan decided it was time to cut his losses. He let the portal crash to the ground and the team scattered, trying to avoid the debris. When everything finally settled, Callaghan was long gone._ _

__The portal's power was winding down and everyone had taken shelter except for Baymax, who continued to stare at the portal._ _

__"I am detecting signs of life, coming from inside the portal."_ _

__"What?" Wasabi replied, incredulously._ _

__"The life signs are female."_ _

__"Callaghan's daughter," muttered Fred._ _

__"I am going to rescue her," Baymax informed them, and even as everyone was shouting for him to stop he dove into the collapsing portal._ _

__Tadashi gasped at the sight (and the fact he was still getting video feed). It was beautiful. The bright swirling colors in stark contrast to the wreckage of the tech facility._ _

__"Be careful Baymax," Tadashi warned him._ _

__Baymax flew confidently through the wreckage and deeper into this world._ _

__"There." A capsule hung in the thick clouds of this place and inside was Abigail Callaghan. Baymax grasped the pod gently and began maneuvering it towards safety. Tadashi watched with bated breath as they got closer and closer to the opening and then finally, were out of there. Seconds later, the portal collapsed. The team gathered around, elated and exhausted at the same time; Honey was calling 911._ _

__"Hey," Tadashi said through the comms. "Can you guys watch things down here while Baymax and I go and see if we can locate Hiro or Callaghan?"_ _

__"Yeah."_ _

__"Sure."_ _

__"Baymax, let's go." Baymax shot into the sky without any more urging and took in the view._ _

__"Baymax, scan."_ _

__It took a few moments, but soon the whole city had been scanned again._ _

__"Ok, now where's Hiro?" Baymax's screen flashed as he searched, but eventually it was left blank._ _

__"Life signs of Hiro Hamada are nowhere to be found."_ _

__:::::::::::_ _

__The water was to his waist now and he had slipped and fallen twice, so he was soaked and freezing. He honestly wasn't sure if he would be able to survive much longer._ _

__But then, miraculously, the door squealed open and the water rushed out, pulling him out along with it._ _

__He was partially blinded by the hallway lights because, even though they weren't that bright, they were a stark contrast to the pitch black he had been in._ _

__A rough hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to his feet and had to stop him from falling over again. They also shoved a blanket in his face._ _

__Hiro quickly unfolded it and wrapped himself up in it and looked at the person who had given it to him._ _

__He was shocked to see that it was Professor Callaghan._ _

__"Follow me," the man said, and took off down the hallway; he was dressed normally and didn’t seem to have any microbots around. Hiro followed the professor warily.  
"Listen Hiro, I want to make you a proposition," he said as he continued to walk. "I fought your friends today and came to the realization that I can't beat them on my own, so I am assembling my own team." Callaghan stopped at a door, opened it, and stepped through. Hiro followed carefully and was surprised to enter what appeared to be a break room; there was a kitchenette and two couches and a coffee table in the middle of the room. Callaghan walked over to the kitchenette and put a kettle on to boil._ _

__"S-so what-t d-d-do you want-t me t-to d-do?" Hiro asked, trying to sound defiant. The professor smirked.  
"You are going to build suits for them all. Suits that can rival your friends'." Hiro tried to scoff even as the professor handed him a cup of tea. He took it gratefully.  
"And why w-would I d-do that-t?" Hiro asked then took a sip and almost melted. Who cared if the tea was from some psychopathic, slightly murderous, professor turned supervillain? Right now, it was heaven. Callaghan, who was already towering over him, bent down to get right in his face. _ _

__"Because if you don't," he whispered menacingly, "You're going back in that room for as long as I see fit."_ _

__Hiro shivered involuntarily. He had no desire to do that again anytime soon._ _

__And yet, he had to get out of here._ _

__"Alright," the boy muttered. "I'll do it." Callaghan smirked again._ _

__"Good." He turned away, but then stopped and said, "And Hiro? One step out of line, and you're back in that room anyway."_ _

__"Right..."_ _

__Things were going to get a whole lot harder._ _


	5. Big Villain 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction of Callaghan's team!

"Unbelievable," Tadashi kept saying as he tried to pace the hospital room against everyone's wishes. "There must be something wrong with the scanner or-or something. He can't just be..."

"Maybe he's out of the city limits," Fred suggested.

"Wherever he is, we're going to find him," Gogo stated firmly.

"You got that right," agreed Wasabi.

"Callaghan," muttered Tadashi. "This is all his fault. When I find him..." He trailed off and his friends exchanged looks; this situation was too familiar. Baymax spoke up.

"Tadashi, you are still recovering from malnutrition and need to build up your strength; it is unwise to waste it on pacing." He turned to the others in the room. "The rest of you should go home and rest. I will stay here and take care of Tadashi." Aunt Cass looked at her too stressed, too thin nephew.

"Tadashi? Is that ok with you?"

"Huh? Oh yeah." His gaze softened and refocused. "Seriously, you guys have been great, but you have lives and obligations and... stuff. I'll be fine." His friends bid him farewell with worried glances behind his back until it was just Aunt Cass and Honey Lemon left. Aunt Cass gave him a big hug.

"I'll stop by tomorrow and bring some food from the cafe." She turned to leave but then, "Last hug!" Then she left. Once she was gone, Tadashi's smile faded and the worry came rushing back. Honey could see it and held out her arms. He willingly wrapped her in a hug and she did the same.

"It will be ok," she said.

"But what if he really is-"

"Stop. There's no use thinking like that while we don't know for sure." They were both silent for a moment. Then Tadashi spoke.

"Is this what Hiro felt like? After the explosion?" Honey Lemon didn't answer. As Tadashi thought about it, he decided Hiro probably felt even worse considering he had tried to stop him from going in the building, and Tadashi hadn't listened.

Oh Hiro. I'm so sorry you had to go through that.

Eventually the two of then separated.

"I'll come visit tomorrow," Honey told him as she grabbed her purse.

"Alright."

He was surprised when Honey leaned in and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

"See you then," she said briskly and left. Tadashi stood there for a moment in pure shock.

"Tadashi?" Baymax asked. "Your heart rate has become elevated. Would you like to sit down?"

"Yeah, that might be a good idea."

::::

Callaghan gave Hiro a small lab down the hall from the break/living room. He gave Hiro some files on who he was bringing in to form his team and left Hiro alone to brainstorm ideas for suits.

The only problem was that Hiro didn't want to do that.

Judging by these files, these people were pretty lethal already, and if they were going up against his friends he didn't want to help them.

The first one was an ex-sumo wrestler who had been banned and arrested for "accidentally" killing his opponents in and out of the ring.

Next was a set of twin sisters who specialized in minor assassinations and gem heists.

And thirdly, there was a small team of male acrobats who had also been in the army. They were highly trained in stealth and sharp shooting.

Hiro whistled appreciatively as he went through the files and gulped nervously for his friends.

Finally, Hiro put the files away and yawned. Callaghan wanted plans and blueprints, but he wasn't going to get anything good until Hiro had had a good night's sleep.

::::

Over the next week, Hiro quickly learned the unspoken rules of working for Callaghan. Don't get caught leaving the lab, don't eat unless he says you can, and don't, under any circumstances, make him mad. Hiro had been back in the wet room twice already, once for sneaking out to get food and once for trying to make a break for it.

It was a rough week.

_Has it been a week? _Hiro asked himself one day. He paused in his work (which was at the moment drawing designs), and stared at the wall trying to figure it out and he realized that he really had no idea. Obviously, he hadn't been outside since he got kidnapped and his sleep schedule had been messed up something fierce, so there was no way to really tell. The young inventor had taken to sleeping in two or three hour stretches to minimize the amount of nightmares and the possibility of Callaghan catching him asleep. Plus, sleeping soundly with a cracked rib is hard.__

__In fact, as he stared at the wall, Hiro began to nod off._ _

__::::_ _

__Someone shook his shoulder and Hiro woke with a start._ _

__"I'm awake!" he yelled and jumped up from his stool, only to almost fall over and then ended up clutching his rib in pain. Callaghan smiled in amusement; he seemed to be in a good mood, but Hiro knew he could turn into Yokai in the time it took to blink. He noticed he was shaking slightly from being startled._ _

__"Come on. The team just arrived and I want you to meet them." Hiro followed the professor out the door and down the hall to the break/living room._ _

__Callaghan opened the door and ushered him in first. Hiro's gut twisted as he entered; this was like the first day of high school all over again. Except, with super villains._ _

__Callaghan entered after him and ushered him further into the room._ _

__"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Hiro, our tech person for this endeavour of ours." The rest of the newly formed team was spread around the room. The sumo wrestler took up most of the couch, forcing two of the ex-military men to use the loveseat. One of the sisters and the other guy sat at the table while the other sister leaned up against the counter._ _

__"Uh, hi."_ _

__"What kind of tech?" the twin leaning on the counter asked suspiciously (she kinda reminded Hiro of Gogo). She was Japanese and pretty, with long black hair tied back in a pony tail. She wore an expensive-looking white shirt and black pants. Callaghan motioned for Hiro to explain._ _

__"Uh, suits," he said. "For armour. And they'll be equipped with weapons of course and other little gadgets."_ _

__"But can they fly?" the man at the table asked. The other two on the couch groaned and the first one grinned cheekily._ _

__"Would you give it up already?"_ _

__"You will never be able to fly!"_ _

__"I didn't ask you blokes!" the man at the table responded. He had light blonde hair, a friendly face, a little scruff, and, apparently, was British. "I asked this young man here! Seriously," he asked, turning back to Hiro. "Could you make mine fly?"_ _

__Hiro sized him up and then said, "I'm sure I could think of something." The first man laughed at the other two who groaned even more._ _

__"Do we get to keep this tech?" the woman leaning against the counter asked. Callaghan smiled and answered._ _

__"Of course, as long as you hold up your end of the bargain." She made an a-okay sign and stopped talking. She and her sister glanced at each other, and there must have been some unspoken conversation, because the next moment the second sister was up, across the room, and looking Hiro intently in the face. She gave him a small smile before returning to her seat and giving a thumbs up to her sister._ _

__"I'm Kamiko," the one at the counter said. "And this is Shizuko." The one at the table nodded._ _

__"I'm Travis," the man at the table said._ _

__"Blake." He was African and also had a thin beard and a thin fuzz of black hair._ _

__"Ryan." This man was stouter and had reddish hair._ _

__"Kenta," the sumo wrestler rumbled._ _

__"Excellent," Callaghan said with a clap of his hands. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let's eat!" Everyone gathered around the table and Hiro ended up between Shizuko and Travis. Travis shook his hand._ _

__"Nice to meet you Hiro. Cheese or pepperoni?"_ _

__"Um, pepperoni please." Travis passed him a plate with two slices of pizza on it and Hiro breathed in the delicious, greasy scent. He immediately dug in._ _

__"So," Blake asked from across the table. "How old are you Hiro?"_ _

__"Fourteen." Kamiko and Ryan nearly spit their pizza out._ _

__"Fourteen!" Kamiko exclaimed. "Geez kid, I knew you were young, but that's crazy."_ _

__"And you're smart enough to build these suits for us?" Ryan asked doubtfully. Hiro had learned in the past that being overconfident generally led to pain, but he had to do something to reassure them._ _

__"Yeah, it might take some time, but I can definitely do it."_ _

__"Thankfully, Hiro is a quick worker," Callaghan said. It didn't take Hiro's genius brain to read the threat in there._ _

__"Yeah, maybe after dinner I could show you guys my lab and some designs?" Everyone agreed._ _

__"So you guys are acrobats?" Hiro finally asked Travis._ _

__"Oh yeah. Me and the boys go way back. Blake and Ryan were the main acrobats; they were my trainers. In fact there was this one time-"_ _

__"No!" Ryan yelled. "No circus stories."_ _

__"Aw, come on."_ _

__"No."_ _

__"Ugh, fine then. Anyway, a couple years later we decided to join the army and did a stint there for a while. I'm guessing Yokai here gave you our files?"_ _

__"Yeah."_ _

__"So you know we were special forces. Blake's the best out of all of us." He turned to the twins. "Now what about you lovely ladies? What are your specialties?"_ _

__"Jewel theft," Kamiko replied shortly. She didn't seem like the one to share a lot. Travis shrugged, not put off._ _

__"And you, Shizuko?" She just smiled and winked at him._ _

__"Alright then. Vague; I like it. Kenta, you got anything you want to say?" Kenta didn't reply because he was too busy inhaling a second pizza._ _

__Gradually, individual conversations started to form; Callaghan, Blake, and Ryan as one and the twins as another. Travis turned towards Hiro._ _

__"So, where are you from Hiro?"_ _

__"San Fransokyo. Lived there my whole life."_ _

__"Family?"_ _

__"Uh…" Hiro glanced at Callaghan and could tell he was listening to every word. "No one important," he lied. Travis nodded, took another bite, then continued._ _

__"My big question is, how did a kid like you, bright future and all, end up working for Yokai?" Hiro could feel Callaghan just waiting for him to slip up and throw him back in that room._ _

__"He was one of my professors and made me a job offer that I couldn't refuse," Hiro explained cautiously. "Now that I'm here, I just can't leave." The boy could already feel Callaghan's displeasure at that veiled comment._ _

__"I can see why. With the kind of pay we'll get out of this, who could refuse?" Hiro knew that if he asked for more details now, it wouldn't end well. He'd have to get Travis alone and ask him to explain._ _

__After dinner, they headed to the lab, however, it was quite crowded, so Kenta agreed to wait outside._ _

__"This is pretty sweet…" Blake murmured as he looked around. Kamiko and Shizuko were flipping through designs and pointing out things they liked, while the men wandered around, poking things._ _

__Shizuko appeared in front of him, looking all excited. She pointed at one of the details on his design._ _

__"Rollerblades?" he asked. She nodded excitedly. "You want rollerblades on your suit?" She nodded again. "Yeah, I can do that." Kamiko came over with another set of designs._ _

__"Think you could put a grappling hook in the wrist here?"_ _

__"Yeah, I think so."_ _

__"You think so?" she asked mockingly. Hiro gave her a look._ _

__"You do your job, I'll do mine." She was about to say something else, but Shizuko's hand on her shoulder stopped her._ _

__"Oh, hey," said Hiro. "While you're all here, can I scan you guys? Then I can get accurate sizes and everything." The others willingly obliged, though Kenta still waited outside._ _

__"Uh, does he really need a suit?" Hiro asked Callaghan. The professor thought for a moment, then shook his head._ _

__"Maybe a helmet, but that's it. Alright everyone!" he said loudly. "Let's leave and let Hiro get to work. We have plans of our own to make." The others filed out, but Callaghan lingered for a moment. As soon as the door was closed, he turned on Hiro. His voice was surprisingly calm as he said,_ _

__"Let me make a few things clear Hiro. They know I want revenge, but they have no idea about your brother or why you're really here. I didn't appreciate your comments at dinner, so consider this a warning." Suddenly, Callaghan was nearly on top of him. He had grabbed hiro's wrist and was currently squeezing very hard. Hiro tried to squirm away, but to no avail._ _

__"Don't tell them about your connections to Big Hero 6 or your brother. But above all, if you sabotage those suits in any way, the consequence will be much worse than the wet room." He shoved Hiro away and then left._ _

__Hiro rubbed his wrist and sighed. He could feel hopelessness creeping in and began to doubt he could get out here on his own. Hopefully, his brother and friends would find him soon._ _


	6. Joy in Hard Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tadashi gets to go home! Little bit of Tadahoney for yall. Gogo and Wasabi go on an adventure.

“Finally!” Tadashi yelled. The hospital was finally allowing him to go home. “Let’s go Aunt Cass. Come on!” Aunt Cass was just buckling in and she laughed.

“Hold your horses Tadashi.” She started the car. “There, better?”

“Yes,” he sighed. So much better. He was gaining weight, he had the best friends and family he could ask for, and he was headed home.

The only dark spot (and it was a big dark spot), was that Hiro was still missing. While he had been in the hospital, his friends had put up posters around the city and had searched most of it themselves. They had even gone and checked out the island again, but couldn’t find anything.

“It’s like Yokai just disappeared,” Wasabi said. 

“He’s probably gone to ground after fighting us and he took Hiro with him,” Honey guessed.

They pulled into the driveway and he and Aunt Cass entered the store. 

“Surprise!” The cafe was decorated with balloons and streamers and his friends were there, along with some close family friends. They hadn’t told a lot of people he was alive yet, because his friends were still trying to keep a “secret identity” thing going and it would’ve complicated things. Once they got Hiro back though, they would have to call the state department and sort this whole “back from the dead” thing out.

But for now, Honey Lemon came up and gave him a hug. They hadn’t spoken about that kiss at the hospital, but it was definitely on both of their minds.

“Glad to be home?” she asked.

“You have no idea.”

They hung around in the cafe for about an hour and Tadashi ate a doughnut, the first sugary thing he’d had since being locked on the island. Pure bliss. It was nice to take a break and just celebrate for a bit.

Eventually though, he and his friends made their excuses and retired to the garage.

“So Hiro machined the suits in here?” Tadashi asked, sitting on the desk chair.

“Yep. If he needed other materials, we got them from the college,” Fred explained. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m gonna make myself a suit.” He could already feel the protests on the tips of their tongues, and quickly shut them down. “My little brother got kidnapped by our professor. I’m getting my strength back. I can help!" Everyone was silent.

"We just don't want to lose you again," Honey Lemon said quietly. The others nodded.

"And I can't lose Hiro," whispered Tadashi hoarsely. "And it's not like I'm gonna go charging in, guns blazing. I'll be smart. We all will. No one is going to get lost. Not on my watch," he vowed. The others exchanged looks. Gogo shrugged, Honey nodded along with Fred, and Wasabi looked nervous, but determined.

"Alright. So what's the plan?" he asked.

"What?" Tadashi asked.

"You're the leader," Wasabi said, gesturing at him. "So what's the plan?"

"Oh, thanks, um." He cleared his throat and continued more confidently. "Step one has to be finding Callaghan. We find him, we find Hiro, or at least can find out where he is."

"But we haven't made any progress towards finding him," pointed out Wasabi. He, Fred, and Gogo took a seat on the couch and Honey sat on one of the arms.

"We could bait him," Gogo said.

"But with what?" Honey asked. Tadashi wheeled closer. Everyone was quiet for a moment, but then Tadashi spoke up.

"Callaghan must've lost a lot of microbots in the fight," he mused. "Maybe we can use that."

"In any case, the less microbots he has, the more of an edge it'll give us."

"That's it!" Fred cried, jumping up. He quickly sat back down, but leaned forward in earnest. "Guys, Callaghan's gonna be wanting more bots and he's gonna need someplace to make them. AKA..."

"The warehouse where Hiro first met Yokai," Honey finished.

"We could stake the place out for when he comes back," suggested Gogo.

"That could work," agreed Tadashi.

Honey Lemon tapped her chin. “We probably don’t even need to stake it out. What if we set a trap of some kind that goes off when he shows up?” Tadashi grabbed some papers from off his desk and began to sketch.

“Baymax, do you remember the layout of the place?” 

“I’m afraid that part of my memory was damaged as well.” Tadashi chewed the end of the pen.

“Reconnaissance mission then,” he muttered. 

“Gogo and I could go check the place out,” Wasabi offered, glancing at her. Gogo nodded. “Tomorrow after school.” Fred nudged his friend playfully who muttered, “Shut up man.” Gogo nudged him back, a small smirk on her face. Wasabi blushed. “Not you too.”

“That works,” said Tadashi, then he groaned. “Ugh, I’m gonna have to register for school again at some point.” Honey placed an understanding hand on his shoulder.  
“Tadashi and I can work on his suit tomorrow as well.”

“And I’ll,” Fred started confidently. “Do something too,” he finished kinda lamely, then shrugged. He was sure he’d figure it out.

“Sweet,” said Tadashi. “Now, ideas for my suit.”

:::::::::::::

The next day, Wasabi and Gogo walked to the warehouse after school.

“I wonder when they’re gonna be done with the new building,” Wasabi asked. None of the classrooms had been harmed by the fire, but the conference hall was still under construction. Word was that they were also going to build another building in honor of Callaghan or Tadashi. Guess that would need rethinking. 

“Probably soon,” Gogo remarked shortly as they strolled up to the abandoned warehouse. They appraised it for a moment.

“There’s an open window up there,” Wasabi said pointing. “I could give you a boost up-” There was a loud crash and he jumped. Gogo had brought a chain cutter and then had proceeded to kick the door open.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go.” She marched in with Wasabi following more carefully behind her. 

“Are you sure we should just go busting-”

“Sh.” Wasabi made an undignified squeaking noise as they moved farther into the building. Gogo had out a little sketch pad and was making little notes about it’s layout. 

“What do you want to bet Tadashi and Honey will be couple soon?” Wasabi asked, trying to lighten the moon.

“Five bucks by the end of the week,” Gogo replied. 

“Deal.” They cautiously turned the first corner and found that the conveyor belt wasn’t on. The barrels that the microbots had been in before were tipped over and strewn around the floor.

“So he hasn’t been back here yet,” Gogo remarked. “That’s good for us.”

“This place gives me the creeps,” Wasabi muttered, looking around fearfully.

“Woman up. It’s not that bad.” Suddenly, there was a bang from the entrance and then footsteps. They looked at each other and the message in their eyes was clear: Hide! 

The two of them looked around furiously for a hiding spot until Wasabi quietly said, “There.” A vent in the floor had been pried open, revealing the shaft below. Gogo jumped in and Wasabi climbed in after. They huddled together under the floor and Wasabi couldn’t help but notice how close they were. He was more than a little surprised when Gogo grasped his hand.

The sound of footsteps was closer now until it passed right overhead then, thankfully, continued on. 

“Someone broke in.” They both stiffened at the voice of their old professor. Then a new voice spoke. 

“I’m sure it was just some stupid kids.” The voice was female.

“Still, I don’t like it.” There was a grunt and the sound of a lever being pulled. The conveyor belt started moving. “Good, it still works. Once my microbots are replenished and the suits are done we can get to work.”

“Good. I’m sick of just sitting around all day.”

“As am I. Though you seem to be finding ways to amuse yourself.” There was a growl from the woman.

“That kid is just so annoying! I will be glad when the suits are done so you can get rid of him.”

“Me too. He’s a liability right now. He’s…” Callaghan’s voice faded as he moved away. There was the sound of tinkering and a moment later, more footsteps. “That should do it. I’ll check on it again soon.”

“Let’s go.” Wasabi and Gogo waited with bated breath and the footsteps receded. They heard the sound of the door closing and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Gogo squeezed his hand then climbed out, reaching down to help Wasabi out.

“That was way too close,” he said quietly once they were out.

“Yeah.” A pause, then, “You think that was Hiro they were talking about?”

“It had to be. Who do you think the woman was?”

“No idea. Let’s take one more look around then head to the cafe. The others need to hear this."

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Honey glanced over at Tadashi who was hard at work coding something or tweaking something else or, ugh, Honey didn't get robotics at all.

Now chemistry. Chemistry she understood. Chemistry made sense. This thing plus that thing equals boom or one plus two equals something pink and foamy.  
But what did him plus her equal?

She’d never been good at that type of chemistry.

Tadashi glanced over at Honey Lemon who was currently manning the 3D printer, making sure all the pieces of his armor came out okay. Tadashi berated himself for staring, but he loved watching her work. She was always so enthusiastic and dedicated and his heart fluttered a bit whenever he saw her, working or not.

Then she glanced over at him and they accidentally made eye contact before they both looked away. The awkwardness was palpable now.

Finally Tadashi turned to face her.

“Honey, I hate to bring up the elephant in the room, but I can’t stand being this awkward around you.” She sighed.

“Same here.” She brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and said, “Listen, about the hospital. I’m sorry, I just, I didn’t really think and we don’t have to talk about this right now if you don’t want to. We can wait until after we find Hiro and then we can talk about… us.”

Tadashi felt his heart beat faster. Baymax probably wasn’t going to like that, but at the moment he didn’t care.

“Honey Lemon, when I was in that room,” he began quietly. Oh he hated talking about this. “I thought I would never get out. And, when I was coherent enough, I spent a lot of time thinking about things I should have done or said or had wanted to but never did. I thought about you a lot.” He ran a hand through his hair and Honey thought about how cute he was when he did this.

“Look, what I’m trying to say,” he continued. “Is that we should talk about… us… before something happens to one of us. None of us were expecting all of this to happen, but it did, and… ugh, I don’t know where I’m going with all of this.” She came and stood next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“So… you want there to be an ‘us’ then?” Tadashi decided to stand as well and nodded. 

His heart beat even faster. Honey Lemon face split into a huge smile and she giggled a little.

“Me too,” she admitted. Tadashi didn’t need any further invitation so he leaned in and kissed her. He placed his hands around her waist and she placed hers around his neck. 

They were still in this position when Aunt Cass came into the garage.

“Hey, I brought you guys some din- Oh.”

The two of them pulled apart very quickly, both of their faces bright red. Aunt Cass was trying very hard not to laugh. 

“You two look busy. I’ll just leave these here and let you get back to work,” she said with a wink and went back inside. Before the door closed they could hear her excitedly shouting, “I knew it! I knew it!” Once the door closed, they breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well that was embarrassing,” Tadashi said.

“What was embarrassing?” Wasabi asked as he and Gogo entered the garage. The new couple whirled around, a little startled. Their faces were still bright red. Gogo popped her gum and held her hand out to Wasabi.

“Pay up.” He sighed and dug a five dollar bill out of his pocket. 

“Why couldn’t you guys wait just a few more days?” he muttered as he handed Gogo the money. She smirked then addressed them all.

“Where’s Fred?” Just then, a giant lizard fell out of the sky and landed right next to her.

“You called?”

“Dude, what have you been up to all day?” Wasabi asked. 

“I checked around the city again then stopped a mugging. It was awesome! So what’s up?” He noticed Tadashi and Honey Lemon’s still pink faces and he gasped, then wrapped them both in a giant hug.

“I knew it!”

“Ok, ok,” Tadashi protested. “Yes, we’re a couple now. What did you guys find at the warehouse?”

Gogo and Wasabi told them what had happened and the mood suddenly grew much more serious.

"Hiro's alive," Tadashi murmured. 

"For now," Gogo added ruefully. Tadashi was pacing now, fiddling with a screwdriver as he did so. 

"If he lays a single finger on Hiro, I'll kill him." 

"Tadashi," Baymax spoke up from his charging station. "Our programming prevents us from hurting another human being."

"Not when my brother's life is on the line," he growled.

"Tadashi, calm down," Wasabi said.

"Yeah, we'll set the trap, catch the bad guy, and save Hiro!" Fred proclaimed.

"Speaking of that," Honey Lemon said, trying to turn the conversation away from killing, "I have an idea for the trap." She laid it out and it was a good plan, involving mainly motion sensors and some of her chem balls. They all agreed. 

"Let's do it."


	7. So Close Yet So Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We got a face off on our hands! And Hiro doing some sneaky stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long, I had finals. But! Good news! They went well and, the best, part, they're over now! Enjoy!

Tadashi and his friends had been eating lunch when Tadashi's phone buzzed. Something had triggered the motion sensors at the warehouse.

"It's go time," he told his friends.

::::::::::::::::

The door was open when they got there and it was eerily silent. 

"I'll go in first," Fred whispered dramatically then (attempted) to sneakily jump through the door while singing his theme song. It was silent for a moment, then,  
"All clear! Come on- AGH! Not clear! Not clear!"

"Fred!" They rushed in and saw their friend the giant lizard trying to burn his way through tendrils of microbots. Gogo threw a disk that shattered one of the arms.

"Woman up!" she yelled and they charged.

Tadashi had to admit, he was impressed. His friends fought way better than he had expected and they worked as a team. He was currently flying around on Baymax, hitting the bots before they made their way down to his friends.

"We've got to find Callaghan," he told Baymax.

"There," replied Baymax, pointing to one of the higher catwalks. Tadashi's gut churned at the sight of his old professor, or rather, at the sight of his mask. That had been the last thing he'd seen before being sealed in that room.

"Let's go big guy."

Baymax soared toward the villain, landing a ways away on the catwalk. Yokai turned to look at them and immediately they were encased in microbots. 

Thankfully, Tadashi's suit was equipped to handle this.

He pressed a button on his gauntlet and an electric charge ran through his suit disabling the microbots covering him, sloughing them off like a second skin.   
Of course, more kept coming, but now he could use his other gadgets.

He'd modeled his suit after Hiro's and Iron Man's (what could he say? He was a huge fan). So while he didn't have an arc reactor, his gloves did shoot flames and the gauntlets were armed with knives on the side. 

"Baymax! Go help the others!" He wanted to face Callaghan alone.

The inventor kept looking for a chance to get closer to Yokai, but the bots kept coming. He settled for taking little steps, making his way towards the villain. As he got closer, Callaghan spoke.

"Can't say I'm happy to see you Tadashi," he said. Tadashi's blood boiled at that voice. 

"You know," Yokai continued, casually sending more bots his way. "I told your brother that you trying to save me was your mistake. The real mistake though, was me letting you live. It's not a mistake I intend to make again; especially with your brother."

Hiro's cold rage when he told Baymax to destroy Callaghan was nothing compared to Tadashi's burning fury at his brother being threatened. With a yell, he sliced through the rest of the microbots and tackled Callaghan onto the catwalk.

"Where's Hiro!?" he shouted. Callaghan grunted and struggled against his former student.

"I told your friends if they interfered, you'd never see your brother again. I intend to make good on that. Argh!" Tadashi slammed him into the catwalk with a surprising amount of force and it swung dangerously beneath them. 

"Tell me where he is!"

"You'll never find him. And by the time you do, it will be too late."

They grappled on the thin walkway and to everyone's horror, rolled off. Thankfully, Callaghan still had control of the microbots and a wave of them caught them as they fell. 

Callaghan seemed to forget about attacking the rest of the team as he and Tadashi fought on the ground. Microbots scrambled for purchase on Tadashi's suit, but he wasn't refused to let go of his enemy. He hit a button on his gauntlet and the defibrillator (which he had used from Baymax’s plans), in his glove activated. He pressed his palm flat on his mentor’s chest and sent a shock through his body. While he was dazed, Tadashi tore his mask off, but the microbots still obeyed the professor's command. He smirked at Tadashi's confusion.

"Your brother's not the only genius you know," he muttered and with a mighty shove, through Tadashi off of him.

"Kenta! Finish them off!"

"Who's-" Wasabi started, then shrieked at the giant of a man that emerged from deeper in the factory. 

"Baymax!" Tadashi roared and jumped on the the robot's back. They rushed toward the door to follow Yokai, but pulled up short when a barrel exploded against the wall directly in front of them. Kenta had thrown it from at least fifty feet away… with enough force to shatter it. 

“Duck!” Tadashi yelled, as another one came flying their way. They barely missed it and Tadashi knew that they wouldn’t be able to follow Yokai unless they wanted a barrel to the head. As a team, he and his friends charged the sumo wrestler. 

To say he was big would be an understatement. He was at least twice Tadashi’s height and at least four times around. He wore only a sumo wrestler’s uniform and the rest of him was painted with stripes of red war paint. 

It was quite intimidating, to say the least. 

They charged bravely nonetheless. 

You would think six against one would be a fair fight, but Kenta was a beast. He nearly swatted Baymax out of the air as they did a flyby, and he tossed Fred against a wall and knocked him out. None of Honey’s chem balls could hold him and Wasabi didn’t want to use his gloves because… lasers, even if he was an enemy.  
That left Gogo, Tadashi, and Baymax. 

Gogo was a beast herself, skating between Kenta’s legs and zipping around him, whacking him with a disk where she could.   
Baymax and Tadashi provided as much aerial support as they could. 

“Maybe…” Tadashi muttered, trying to come up with a strategy. “Listen up,” he said, and quickly told him and Gogo the plan over comms.

“Wait... wait... now!” Gogo slashed at the man’s leg and ducked under them and as Kenta leaned over to try and grab her, Tadashi jumped from Baymax and landed on his back. 

“You little-” Kenta grumbled and tried to reach behind him and grab Tadashi. Thankfully, he had a strong choke hold.

Of course, Kenta wasn’t an amature and there were no rules here. He spun back and forth, quickly shifting direction, making it too dangerous for any of the others to get closer and making it extremely difficult for Tadashi to hang on. Honey couldn’t throw any chemicals for fear of hitting her boyfriend and the others couldn’t help for fear of getting stepped on. Tadashi was positive he felt his neck crack quite a few times, but he held on tighter. If he would just…

“Oof!” Tadashi’s hands almost slipped as Kenta rammed his back into a wall. That would hurt in the morning. Kenta rammed him again and he couldn’t help but think of the scene from the Princess Bride when Westley fights Fezzik.

Unlike Westley, Tadashi couldn't afford to take another hit like that.

Also unlike Westley, Tadashi had a beautiful and smart girlfriend there to help.

"Hey!" Honey yelled. Kenta hesitated just long enough for her to nail him in the face with a noxious gas chem ball. Tadashi took a deep breath and held it; he did not want to breathe that in.

Kenta forgot all about Tadashi and started to sway. The inventor quickly dropped to the ground, stumbling as he landed, and backing up as far as he could.

The sumo wrestler sneezed loudly and began lumbering towards the door, gaining speed until he crashed out of the warehouse and into the streets. 

"Please understand, I hold you in the highest respect," Tadashi murmured after him. Maybe he had breathed in some of that gas...

He passed out and his friends rushed over to him, minus Wasabi who was still watching Fred. Baymax scanned him.

"He will be alright. Some of the gas knocked him out." Honey sighed in relief and Gogo let out a huff of exasperation. 

"Cass is gonna kill us."

::::::::::::

"Okay, try that." Hiro handed the mask back to Travis who fitted it back on his face. It was dark green and looked vaguely like a gas mask, minus the things that stick out. Hiro waited while the acrobat tried it on and tested the features.

"Fantastic!" he said, taking it off. "Everything works fine now."

"Awesome," Hiro said. He took the mask and placed it with the rest of the suit. Travis looked over Hiro's shoulder and sighed.

"When can I try flying?" he asked longingly. Hiro laughed. 

"Hopefully this evening. I want to run a few more tests to make sure it works." Travis cheered and ruffled Hiro's hair.

"Can't wait." He watched for a moment as Hiro tinkered on Shizuko's skates. Callaghan wanted all the suits done by tomorrow and Hiro honestly wasn't sure what sleep felt like anymore. Not to mention peace of mind. Then Travis noticed something. 

"What happened?" he asked Hiro, pointing to the bruise around his wrist. The young inventor glanced down then went back to work.

"Just an accident," he said offhandedly. Travis didn't buy it. He leaned up against the counter and looked at the young inventor.

"Callaghan giving you hard time?" he asked quietly. Hiro didn't answer, but his hands were shaking slightly.

"Dude, why do you stay? If Callaghan's hurting you, why don't you just quit?"

"Can't," Hiro muttered. Travis shrugged.

"Ok. Finish the suits, then quit. Any problems with them are the professor's problem." His hands started shaking harder until finally he slammed the screwdriver down on the table and stood there, shivering, with his eyes shut. Why did he feel so cold all of a sudden?

"Hiro?" Travis asked quietly. "Hiro you ok?" The boy shook his head. Travis tried to touch his shoulder, but when he did, the boy flinched like he'd been burned.   
Finally Hiro took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes.

"I-I'm good now. Sorry."

"No, no it's... ok. Well, not ok, but, you didn't come here of your own free will, did you?" Hiro shook his head.

"I-I'll be ok," Hiro told him. "I've been in tough places before." Before Travis could press the issue further, there was a knock on the door and Ryan stuck his head in.  
"Hey, Blake made dinner and Yokai's gone. You guys should come get some."

"What is it?" Travis asked.

"Hot wings." Hiro perked up at this. They went out to the living room and joined the others (Hiro and Travis both noted that Ryan waited until Callaghan was gone before inviting them out).

“Ah, the Nerd King finally emerges,” Kamiko remarked from the couch. Shizuko elbowed her, but her sister payed her no mind. Hiro decided not to answer and instead helped himself to some hot wings.

“So, when are those suits gonna be ready Hiro?” Blake asked from the table. Hiro, Travis, and Ryan joined him. Hiro finished chewing and replied,

“We can test them as soon as we’re done eating.” Everyone (even Kamiko) perked up at this. Shizuko looked downright ecstatic. 

“Hate to be devil’s advocate here,” Ryan began. “But shouldn’t we wait for Yokai to get back?” Everyone looked mildly uncomfortable at the mention of their leader and going behind his back, but Travis took one look at Hiro and knew that this might be the one chance for the kid to open up. 

It also might backfire horribly.

“Nah. If anything, he’ll be happy that everything’s all ready to go.” The tension lifted and the group went back to eating.

They all finished pretty quickly and Hiro took Blake and Ryan with him to grab the suits. When they returned, Hiro passed them out and everyone got suited up.  
Travis, Blake, and Ryan’s suits were designed for air support. They would be transportation and eyes-in-the sky. Their suits were different shades of green and included a mask with night vision, comms, and targeting systems. There were miniature bibi gun barrels on the shoulders (he hoped Callaghan wouldn't force them to use real ammo). Additionally, they had grappling hooks attached to their belts along with slots for various weaponry. The best part though were the wings on the back with jet packs at the tips. According to Hiro’s calculations, they should fly, but they would have to wait and see.

The twins had suits similar to Gogo’s, minus the helmets and discus’. Kamiko’s was red and Shizuko’s was purple. They both had miniature grappling hooks in the wrists along with tranquilizer darts. Hiro had also managed to add in a small laser (perfect for all of your heisting needs) and a belt with various utilities. Instead of helmets, they had small comm devices and a narrow screen that would be used for night vision or targeting. 

Kenta… didn’t really need anything. He was already so big, scary, and powerful anything else would have been overkill (literally). All Hiro had given him was a bluetooth earpiece. 

“Gotta hand it to you Hiro. These are pretty sweet,” Ryan said, checking out his suit. He nearly fell over as Shizuko zoomed by him in her skates, a big smile on her face. She zipped over to Hiro and twirled him in a big hug, then quickly zoomed off again, using her grappling hook to make an insanely tight turn. Kamiko was checking out the functions on her gloves and burned a neat hole through Hiro’s shirt with her laser.

“Sorry,” she said, sounding anything but. Hiro made a face at her which she returned with a sneer. 

What's up with her? Hiro wondered. He'd never done anything to her and yet, with his experience with bullies, that didn't matter. Maybe he'd loosen a screw on her skate or something. 

Travis caught Hiro's eye and looked at him excitedly.

"Can I?" he asked, pointing to the flight button. 

If a lightbulb could have appeared over Hiro's head, it would have. 

"Actually, there's a bigger room on the first floor that would be perfect to test that. Let me grab something from the lab and we'll go up."

Hiro ran to the lab before anyone could protest and rooted around in the back until he found what he was looking for; his helmet from his old suit. He grabbed a few tools and ran back to the others.

"Let's go!"

He led the way down the hallway and to the stairs he'd been on only once before. The wet room was around the corner and he tried not to look.   
Hiro jogged up the stairs and tried the door handle.

"It's locked," he said, not very surprised.

"You mean he locked us in?" Ryan asked angrily.

"Chill Ryan. I have a key," Kamiko informed them, then jogged up the stairs and unlocked it. "Voila."

The others filed through, leaving Kamiko and Hiro on the landing for a moment. As he went to slip through the door, she put a firm hand on his chest.

"I didn't know you were getting a suit," she stated. Hiro shrugged nervously.

"Guess the professor forgot to mention it." The assassin continued to glare at him suspiciously, then finally removed her hand.

"I've got my eye on you." She went through the door leaving Hiro alone, his blood racing with adrenaline. If this was going to work... 

He followed the rest of them out, then led them to the portal room. Of course, the portal was gone now, but there were still remnants of his and his friends' fight with Callaghan. 

"What is this place?" Blake asked.

"Experiment gone wrong, I think," Hiro replied. "But it makes a great practice room." The high ceilings made it perfect for the guys and the debris and other obstacles made it perfect for the girls to try out their gadgets. 

"So... Can I try it now?" Travis asked. Hiro laughed.

"Yeah, go for it." Everyone held their breath in anticipation as Travis pressed the button and his jet packs activated. A moment later, he was rising off the ground. He laughed in pure disbelief.

“This is amazing!” His friends were grinning, but shaking their heads.

“Hiro,” Blake said. “What have you done?” Travis stuck his tongue out and flew around the room, testing out the controls and getting the hang of it. Hiro glanced at the others who were looking after their friend longingly.

“You know you want to,” Hiro told them. “Go on! Try them out!” Blake and Ryan glanced at each other and then ran off. Hiro heaved a sigh of relief. Now if his hands would stop shaking, maybe he could fix his helmet. 

He sat near the door and started messing with the wiring. If he could just get the comms to work, he could contact his friends and tell them where he was. He prayed that Callaghan wouldn’t come back too early. 

He readjusted some of the wiring and tried it on, activating the comms with a button on the side. Just static. 

He muttered under his breath, glancing up now and again at his friends, wait friends? No, no, the... others. Yeah. Not friends. These guys would be fighting his friends. He should have sabotaged those suits… At least, more than he already did. 

His thoughts continued at this rambling pace while his hands worked just as frantically. Then, of course, the worst possible thing happened.  
Slithering… the slithering of microbots, coming down the hallway. 

_No, no, no! Not yet! Please, not yet! ___

__He jammed his helmet on his head and frantically pressed the comms button._ _

__“Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?”_ _

__“Hiro? Is that you?” came the startled reply. It was a bit garbled, but it was enough._ _

__“Gogo! Thank goodness,” he breathed._ _

__“Guys, guys, Hiro’s on the comms!” More garbled voices, joined Gogo’s and for a moment, Hiro couldn’t understand anything. All the while, the slithering was getting closer._ _

__“Hey! Listen up!” he said as loudly as he could without drawing attention from the others. “I don’t have much time.” Everyone shut up, but at that moment, Callaghan came through the door._ _

__No,Yokai. Wherever he had been, whatever he had been doing, it had made him furious._ _

__“Hiro?” It was Tadashi. Oh gosh, not now. Yokai turned his head quickly and saw Hiro with the helmet on. With a violent gesture, the microbots ripped Hiro’s helmet off._ _

__“No!” he screamed as his helmet was crushed. All logical thought of a plan left him, fear and fury overran him, and he bolted for the door._ _

__He actually made it through. He sprinted for the exit, pure panic driving him faster than ever before. The door was still open and he could see sunlight. He tried to ignore the slithering of the microbots on the wall and ran faster._ _

__Until Kenta blocked the doorway.  
The young inventor didn't even slow down and instead, dove between the wrestler's legs. Just as his hand cleared the doorway and he felt sunlight for the first time in who-knows-how-long, the microbots grabbed his legs and dragged him, literally, kicking and screaming back into the compound._ _

__“What’s going on?” Ryan asked, landing near Yokai, who was currently observing the scene taking place in the hallway. Travis, Blake, and the twins followed him. He turned his stern gaze on Kamiko._ _

__“What is the meaning of this?” he asked her. She stared back at him evenly and replied,_ _

__“The suits were ready. We decided to test them now. This room was big enough for all of us.”_ _

__“And the meaning of this?” he asked, dropping the remains of Hiro's helmet at her feet. She looked a bit worried now._ _

__"An accident."_ _

__"A mistake. One that could have compromised this mission entirely." He glared around at each of them. "You all have something riding on this. I had hoped you'd be more careful." Everyone looked suitably ashamed and were reminded of why this guy was in charge. All except for Shizuko, who was staring in disgust at her sister, and Travis, who was glaring at Yokai._ _

__"And what about Hiro?" he asked defiantly. Everyone's heads came up, a bit curious, a bit fearful._ _

__"He's a special case. One that you do not need to be involved in. Unless of course, you would like to forfeit your share of this endeavour." Travis cringed. He cared about Hiro, but there was too much riding on this working out. He sighed._ _

__"No, I don't."_ _

__"Good. I'll deal with the brat," he snarled, "then meet me in the break room for debriefing. We're making our first move tonight."_ _


	8. Escalation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro has a rough time of it and Big Villain 6 commits their first heist!

Hiro was tossed into the darkness and he thought that was it, but no, he’d gone too far for that to be it. He tried to get to his feet, but they were swept out from under him by the microbots. The swarm clawed at his skin and flung him around the room. Sometimes they would stop for a minute and he thought it was over, but then they would strike again, even harder. It was torture, not knowing where the next blow would come from or where it would hit. It didn’t make a difference if his eyes were open or shut or if he were on his feet. He couldn’t do anything.

Finally, Hiro heard the door slam shut and he waited for what seemed like forever for the next blow to come, but it never did. He finally realized his eyes were shut and opened them; still couldn’t see anything. Carefully he tried to sit up and almost blacked out from pain. His side felt like it was on fire; Hiro struggled to breathe regularly and finally managed to sit up with his back against the wall. The poor boy sat there panting for a moment before finally realizing his side wasn’t his only problem.

Hiro hissed in pain as salt water got into some of his cuts and started to rise. All of him was throbbing, but some parts more than others. He gingerly touched his upper arm and his fingers came back sticky with blood. He carefully felt around the wound, figuring out how big it was. Answer: pretty big, somewhat deep, definitely hurt. Hiro let his fingers roam for another minute, assessing damage while he tried to come up with a plan. There was another large gash on his cheek, but those, and his ribs, seemed to be the worst of his injuries. 

“Gotta stand up,” he muttered and tried, but fell down again immediately. “Ah, ah! Bad idea.” His breath hitched and he focused on breathing and not crying; that would hurt too much. “I can sit for now. When, when the water gets higher… Then I’ll stand.”

He just hoped he wouldn’t be in here for too long.

:::::::::::::::::

Once Callaghan left, Shizuko pulled her sister aside and confronted her.

"How could you?" she demanded in a whisper. Kamiko's eyebrow raised, but kept her usual poker face; her sister usually never talked unless something was wrong.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Work for Callaghan like that!”

“Uh, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re both working for Callaghan.”

“No, no. Out of all of us, you’re the one he trusts mosts.”

“And you have a problem with that?”

“Yes!” She growled and paced, trying to figure out how to communicate her feelings. Finally she stopped and simply said, “He’s like Dad.”

That sure got her sister’s attention. She waited for Shizuko to continue. 

“He hurts Hiro. He makes him afraid. It’s wrong.” Kamiko replied,

“What’s your point?” Her sister turned back to her with a fearsome look and snarled,

“My point is that we- you’re- letting him! If anything, you’re encouraging it or, worse, doing the same thing!” Kamiko’s mask broke.

“I am nothing like Dad,” she hissed, getting in her sister’s face.

“Well then start acting like it,” Shizuko replied, pressing right back. The twins stared each other down, neither one willing to back off. Finally, they each took a step back at the same time. 

“Just be careful,” Kamiko urged. Shizuko nodded and then darted away. 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

A pinprick of light, so dim he didn't think it was real, pervaded the room. It grew marginally larger and he thought he heard a faint gasp. A moment later, the light was gone and he could hear a faint fizzing noise and the water slowed down considerably.

"Hang in there Hiro," a quiet voice whispered and was gone. 

He hoped he hadn't just imagined it. 

:::::::::::::::::::

Tadashi was sitting at the desk in the garage, figuratively beating his head into a wall. 

Literally, he was trying to trace the call from Hiro's helmet, to no avail. The call had been too short, the signal too weak, for him to trace it with any accuracy.  
Tadashi felt helpless. His brother had found a way to contact them, but before he could tell them where he was, something had happened. The last thing Tadashi had heard before the sound cut off was Hiro screaming.

He let out a shaky breath and tried to steady his hand and hold back tears at the same time. Finally, he put his tools down, stood up, and started pacing his bedroom.   
He should go to sleep. It was a little past midnight and his body knew it was exhausted, even if he didn't accept it. 

One more try, he thought. Then I'll go to bed. 

He sat down again and tried running the trace, but it didn't work again. He slammed his laptop shut and tried not to shout; he didn't want to wake Cass up. He was about to stand up when he heard a small noise coming from his own helmet. 

He picked it up and put it on. Who would be on comms at this hour? 

"-then we'll meet back here. Let's go."

Callaghan. 

Tadashi's blood turned to ice and then fire. 

He sat down and ran the trace again on his own helmet. 

“Come on, come on, yes! Ow!” he said, simply to wake Baymax up as he turned to gather up his own armour.

“Tadashi. It is 12:34. What is the matter?” 

“I know where Callaghan is. Let’s go!”

“Shouldn’t we contact the others?”

“There’s no time. Come on!" Tadashi slipped on the rest of his suit and ran for the stairs, Baymax close behind. As Tadashi headed for the door, Baymax intervened.

"Tadashi, you are in no condition to confront Callaghan and whoever else may be with him on your own. I'm contacting the others." Before Tadashi could protest, a messaging bubble appeared on Baymax's chest and the disappeared. 

"They will meet us here shortly."

"Ugh, Baymax..." Tadashi groaned, sounding a lot more like his brother than he realized. He took a deep breath. "Fine. Let's get you suited up while we wait though."

::::::::::::::::::::

The museum was dark, only the occasional spot of emergency lighting brightening the corridors. Shizuko smiled in anticipation, shook her can of spray paint, and took off.

She darted through the hallways, spraying camera lenses as she passed and heading towards the main doors. 

She loved these new skates. So easy to maneuver in. She jumped and twirled just for fun, and spray painted a mustache on a statue as she went around the corner.   
She glided lithely up to the front doors and opened them for Yokai and Kenta with a bow. The two men entered and followed her down the hallway to their target.  
The poor security guard didn't know what to do when his flashlight beam fell upon the unlikely trio. He stumbled backward and hit the alarm button. Steel doors covered the windows and began to shut over the doors. With a mighty roar, Kenta surged forward and grabbed the steel gate before it could close. He hoisted it up and Shizuko glided inside and right up to the security guard. She gave him an unsettling smile and quiet chuckle before knocking him out with a headbutt. Yokai slipped through the opening next, grabbing the keycard from the guard and shutting off the alarm. The gate opened again and Kenta followed.

The room was every thief’s dream. Large, unguarded, precious gems were displayed throughout the room, each more priceless than the last. Shizuko beckoned to Kenta and they began to work the glass covering off of a particularly nice (2000 carat) ruby. 

“Leave it,” Callaghan ordered and led them to a small door in the back of the room. It opened with the swipe of a card, and they filed in. 

It was a fairly narrow room with shelves lining both walls. Tiny boxes filled the shelves. A look at the labels told them that they were filled with uncut gems, worth even more than the ones outside. Callaghan pocketed a few and Shizuko took a couple when he wasn’t looking. You couldn’t just pass up an opportunity like this. 

“Let’s go,” he commanded. They slunk back out to the main foyer, where a glass dome dominated the ceiling. Eerie moonlight shone through it, turning everything silver and gray. 

“We’re ready,” Callaghan said into the comms. A moment later, a panel off the top of the dome was removed and three ropes were dropped down. Callaghan grabbed his while Shizuko attached Kenta’s around his thick frame before finally securing her own. They tugged on the ropes and were pulled up.

The three acrobats flew them a few blocks away where Kamiko was waiting with the getaway vehicle. Ryan had gotten stuck with Kenta and was struggling to remain airborne, but somehow he managed it. Shizuko looked up at Travis who gave her a thumbs up; to him, she was as light as a feather. 

The thief breathed in the cool night air. She had to admit, this was pretty amazing, and she bet Travis was enjoying it even more than her. Hiro had really outdone himself.

Her gut twisted when she thought about the young inventor. They needed to get back soon.

Unfortunately, the flight came to a sudden end when a yellow disk sliced through her rope.

Like the good thief she was, Shizuko refused to scream and instead, tucked and rolled onto the nearest roof top. She hopped to her feet and took in her surroundings.   
Kenta had dropped all the way to the ground and was currently fighting some guy with... laser hands? Callaghan was also on the ground fighting what looked like a giant lizard. Blake, Ryan, and Travis were engaged in a dogfight with another flier; a red one, that appeared to have someone on his back. So that left Shizuko with the two girls who had somehow made their way to the roof.

She couldn't help but notice her suit's similarities to the girl in yellow's.

"He used my tech," Shizuko thought she muttered. "I'm gonna have words with that kid." Then she and the tall one charged.

Shizuko skated easily out of the way, but nearly fell when the ground underneath her became icy. The girl in pink threw a bright orange ball at her and she dodged out of the way. The ball hit the ground and grew into a giant, globby lump.

These must be the heroes Callaghan had told them about, Big Hero 6. He had said all rules were off when it came to these people. She skated a ways away from the girls and drew her katana before charging back into the fray.

The girl in pink threw another thing at her as she approached, but she sliced through it easily and it exploded behind her with a hiss of pink steam. Shizuko went for the short one and brought her katana down on her gauntlet. She ducked as the other girl swung a fist at her head. 

“Who the heck are you people?” she muttered. Shizuko decided not to answer and instead took another swing at the girl, then flipped out of the way of a blue ball. It hit the short girl’s leg and froze it to the spot.

“Honey!” she cried.

“Sorry!” the girl in pink responded, then gave a little yelp as Shizuko turned her way. The tall one was more resourceful than she looked. They fought for a few moments until Shizuko heard someone yell, “Where’s Hiro!?” She skated out of range and looked for where the voice had come from. 

The boy on the back of the robot, that’s who had yelled. How was Hiro connected to Big Hero 6? She and Travis made eye contact and a silent understanding passed between them.

Shizuko let out an undignified yelp as a chem ball struck her arm. Crystals began sprouting around her armour and she was forced to drop her sword. Another would have hit her on her legs if her sister hadn’t shown up. In the distance, police sirens started wailing.

Kamiko swung her wakizashis fiercely, cutting through any ball that the pink girl threw at them. Finally, with a deft hand, Kamiko caught one and threw it back. It hit the girl and got her stuck in some goop. With a defiant yell, she charged at the girl and probably would have done serious damage if her sister hadn’t grabbed her arm to stop her. With a shake of her head and a nod at her arm, Kamiko turned at sheared off the crystals.

“Let’s get the others and go,” Kamiko muttered. “Callaghan,” she said into the comms. “We should go. We have what we came for.” There was a responding growl and eventually, “Meet back at base when you can.” They weren’t outnumbered, but Callaghan hadn’t brought many microbots with him; no one was supposed to know about this heist after all. And of course, there was the police. 

“Let’s go,” Kamiko said, nudging her sister. Shizuko nodded and the two of them fled the roof top. “What do you say?” she asked as they ran. “Wanna go get dinner or something?” Shizuko grinned at her sister trying to make up for the fight earlier, but had to shake her head. She had to get back to the island as soon as possible. Hiro had been stuck there for hours now.

“Fine. Like I said though, be careful.” She gave her sister a cocky smile and took off back towards the bay.


	9. Times Are Tough

Once the guy on the back of the big red robot said Hiro’s name, Travis knew he couldn’t keep fighting the guy. Thankfully, Kamiko convinced Callaghan to call a retreat. He told the boys over comms that he’d take care of this shmuck and he’d meet them later.

“Drinks on me,” he told them. That was enough for them. Blake and Ryan flew off, leaving just him and the robot. He took stock quickly. The twins had already ditched, leaving the two female team members incapacitated. Callaghan had melted into the night and Kenta had knocked out the two guys (was one a lizard?) who were on the ground. 

“Where’s Hiro?” the guy yelled again. “Do you know?” Travis cursed in his head. If he wasn’t on comms, he might consider telling the guy, but instead, he shot off in the opposite direction, hoping to outrun him. 

Unfortunately, the robot was just as fast. It caught up to him easily. Fine then. Time to get tricky. 

He dove down into the streets of San Fransokyo, keeping away from the more busy parts, and taking the most roundabout, narrow ways he could find. The ex-soldier dove down an alley and landed behind a dumpster, wondering if they’d been able to follow. Nothing made a sound for a long time, so he finally figured it was safe. Mist wreathed the alley, giving everything an eerie quality. A sliver of moon lit the walls and Travis shivered involuntarily. Just as he was about to stand up, someone grabbed him from behind. 

Travis made a very undignified sound and then swore when he saw who it was.

“Geez, Shizuko. Give a guy some warning next time.” Then he saw her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked. She put a finger to her lips, then took off her comms, gesturing for him to do the same. He took his mask off and watched as she signed to him.

“Uh huh. Ok. Ok. So I think I got it. You need me to fly you back to the island, yeah?” She nodded. “No problem, but why the urgency?” She didn’t answer, but set her mouth in a grim line. “Right, let’s go.” He gave her the rope and they flew as quickly (and inconspicuously) as they could over the bay back to the island. As soon as they touched down, Shizuko zipped off, leaving Travis to follow as quickly as he could. 

He saw her flip her way down the stairs (must be easier than going down in skates) and turn the corner in the opposite direction of the common room.

“Uh, Shizuko? Why are you going this way?” She beckoned him over to a large steel door. The thief peered through a small peep hole and let out a distressed noise. She dug in her pocket for a moment and then pulled out a lock picking kit and set to work. While she did that, Travis searched the walls for a lightswitch and shouted in triumph when he found one. Dingy light bulbs sparked to life just as Shizuko finished unlocking the door. She gave him a look to tell him to brace himself. She dragged the door open.

Water came rushing out, soaking their shoes and taking Travis by surprise. But what was in the room was even more shocking.

Travis had seen things like this in the military before. He had been a POW for a while and there had been some prisoners who just didn’t know when to stop. They’d cross the line and then the guards would teach them a lesson. Half the time they didn’t make it. And Hiro was looking kinda like that.

Half of his face was covered with blood due to a nasty gash over his left cheekbone. Hiro’s hand covered his right bicep in an attempt to stop the bleeding from the three large wounds there. His legs were all scraped up and he was bruised too. 

They ran over to him and Travis immediately felt for a pulse. It was there, but dang the kid was cold. He wasn’t even shivering anymore and was unconscious. The wound on his arm was also worrying him. It was deep and hadn’t fully stopped bleeding.

“This is bad. Shizuko, go get a first aid kit. Meet me at the showers.” She didn’t even question it before speeding off. Then Travis slipped his jet pack off, figuring it would just in the way. 

“Hey, Hiro. Wake up. Can you hear me?” He slapped Hiro’s cheek lightly a few times and was rewarded with a moan. “Hiro. Come on man. Wake up.” The boy’s eyes flickered.

“T-Ta...shi?”

“Hey. Eyes on me. It’s Travis. Listen kid, we’re gonna get you out of here. I’m gonna pick you up, kay?” After a faint moan in response, Travis slipped his arm behind Hiro’s back and one under his knees and lifted him up. Hiro screamed and Travis nearly dropped him in surprise. Tears were now streaming down his cheeks, mixing with the blood.

“Ribs,” he gritted out.   
“Sorry,” Travis muttered and headed for the door. He jogged down the hallway past the break room and around a corner. The team’s rooms were on the left side of the hall and the showers just beyond that. A counter with sinks lined the left wall, across from the three shower stalls on the other side. Travis set Hiro down carefully on the floor of the first one, grabbed the nozzle, and turned it on. Warm water gushed out. Hiro cried out a bit as it flowed over his legs. Shizuko zipped into the room a moment later, first aid kit under her arm. 

“Switch me spots. Clean him up, get him warm, watch the ribs.” They switched spots and Travis started digging through the kit. He pulled out gauze, disinfectant, thread, and a needle then moved to sit closer to Hiro. Shizuko turned the water on his arm and carefully washed out the long gashes. Travis sprayed them with disinfectant then started sewing them up. They weren’t pretty but they were efficient. He wrapped the gauze around it then turned his attention to Hiro’s face.  
The two of them worked in companionable, but hurried silence as they tried to save their friend.

Once Travis had bandaged Hiro has much as he could, he sighed and nudged Shizuko.

"Turn it off. We need to get him out of his clothes and dry, then I can check his ribs." She nodded and turned the water off. The two of them gently lifted the boy out and onto a towel on the floor. Travis took off his shoes and socks while Shizuko cut through his shirt. Hiro was shivering convulsively now, which was good because he was warming up, but probably wasn't that good for his ribs.

Thick bruises covered Hiro's left side and Travis swore. He prodded them gently and Hiro let out a soft cry.

"Sorry man," he murmured and pulled back. "At least two of them are pretty badly broken. I have no idea how to properly treat them though." Shizuko have him a quizzical look and pointed at the stitches. 

"Oh, those. I just know basic first aid from the army. Ryan, on the other hand, he spent nearly a month in a medic tent. He should know how to treat these." He nodded, coming to a decision. "Let's take him to my room, get him in some warm clothes and in bed, then I'll go and get Ryan." Travis gently lifted the boy into his arms and they trekked down the hall to his room.

It was pretty utilitarian; a bed against one wall, a night stand, and a dresser. The only thing messy was the night stand, covered with a clock, pictures, and other various things.

"There ya go," he said as he placed the boy in his bed. He was still shivering, but would hopefully warm up soon.

"Do what you can to warm him up. I'll go get Ryan."

::::::::::

As soon as Travis landed, he stashed his suit behind the dumpster and headed to the front door of the bar.

Seeing as how it was around three in the morning, things had settled down. There were a couple of drunks passed out on different tables and a lonely couple at the bar. Blake and Ryan sat near the back and beckoned when they saw him come in.

"There you are! What took you so long?" Blake asked.

"We've been putting everything on your tab by the way," Ryan mentioned.

"Yeah, sorry. Shizuko needed a lift back." He waved to a waiter and ordered a beer. Once it came, he took a sip and turned back to his friends and chatted for a few minutes.

"Did you see Hiro by any chance?" Blake asked.

"I'm worried about that kid," Ryan added. 

"Yeah, I did." He paused. "What I'm about to tell you has to stay secret, at least from Callaghan." His friends shared a worried glance; Travis hadn't sounded this serious in a long time. 

"We promise. Now shoot."

Travis related what had happened on the island, explaining in detail Hiro's injuries. The more they listened, the more somber Blake and Ryan's expressions grew.  
"His ribs are in bad shape. Heck, all of him is in bad shape. Do you think you could take a look at him? Finish patching him up?" he asked Ryan. His friend nodded.  
"Of course. I'll head back now." He left. Blake spoke up.

"Travis, I hate seeing the kid get hurt as much as you do, but what are we supposed to do with Yokai breathing down our necks? And more importantly, controlling our pay?"

"Trust me, I've been trying to come up with something." He stared into his drink like it might hold the answer. Blake ran a hand over his head.

"We need this money," he muttered. The three of them had agreed: this was their last gig. After this, no more thieving, law breaking, or being hired muscle of any sort. They all had their own reasons and desperately needed this plan to succeed. 

They sighed and stood up.

"I'll keep an eye out for Callaghan heading back to the island. What are you gonna do?"

"I've got a call to make," Travis said. "Maybe I'll grab some breakfast too." 

"Alright. Don't be long."

As Blake left, Travis paid the bill and headed out as well.

He wandered until he found a pay phone. He put in some change and dialed the number, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Hello?" answered a tired voice.

"Hey babe. It's me."

"Travis?"

"Yeah."

"It's really early. Is something wrong?"

"No, not really." He sighed. "I just really needed to talk to you. How are my two favorite girls doing?" He could almost hear her smiling on the other end.

"We're fine. Though I have been eating the weirdest things recently. How's your top secret, totally not illegal project going?"

He said things were going pretty well and she said,

"Ok. Now tell me what's bothering you." He sighed.

"Marcie, this project is gonna do wonders for us. We can get our own place, get insurance, get married finally."

"But..." she prompted.

"But... someone's getting hurt. Mentally and physically. But if I do something about it, I could lose it all. What do you think I should do?" Marcie was silent for a moment as she thought.

"I think," she began. "You should do what you think is right, whatever it is. We've made it this far just on my income and our savings, we can last a little longer, so don't worry about me. I know you'll make the right choice." Travis chuckled.

"I wish I had as much faith in me as you do." Now she laughed.

"I guess I'll have to have enough for both of us. I love you Travis."

"Love you too babe. See you soon."

He felt lots better after talking to Marcie and decided to get some breakfast, maybe bring some back for Hiro and the rest of them. He wandered for a bit, waiting for restaurants to open until the smell of fresh baked pastries found him.

_The Lucky Cat Cafe. _Seemed as good of place as any.__


	10. But Things Get Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worlds collide and Hiro gets rescued!

There was a missing person sign in the front window.

_Hiro Hamada  
14 years old.  
Height: 5 ft.  
Hair: Black  
Eyes: Brown  
Last seen... ___

__And it went on. Travis' gut twisted with guilt as he pushed the door in. The place was practically empty, with only the barista and two people at different tables. As he glanced around at the patrons, Travis stopped in shock._ _

__At a table near the window working on a laptop was the guy from Big Hero 6, the one on the robot. Though if he hadn't gotten a good look at the guy's face, he never would have guessed. Dark bags, hidden by his visor, were now quite visible, as were his hollowed out features. Not to mention how skinny he was- almost unhealthily so._ _

__"Can I help you?" The voice of the barista brought him back to the present._ _

__"Huh? Oh yeah. Um, what's good here?" The lady laughed and Travis couldn't help but note the resemblance to Hiro._ _

__"Well, I'm a bit biased, but I do have some favorites if you want a recommendation."_ _

__He listened as she rattled off some of the best pastries and breakfast items. He ordered enough for everyone on the team and as she was ringing him up, he leaned forward and said casually,_ _

__"I saw the missing person sign outside. Do you know the kid?" The woman's face grew worried._ _

__"Yes, he's my nephew."_ _

__"How long has he been missing?"_ _

__"Nearly two weeks now."_ _

__"I'm sorry about that. I'll keep my eye out for him." She gave him a small smile._ _

__"Thank you. Enjoy your breakfast." Travis nodded and turned to leave just as more people started to come in. It looked like early morning rush hour had started and with the woman behind the counter distracted, he shot a look at the Big Hero 6 guy and made an impulsive decision._ _

__"Can I sit here?" he asked. Tadashi glanced up at him, then at the multitude of empty seats, and said,_ _

__"Uh, sure." Travis sat down and extended his hand._ _

__"I'm Travis." He warily shook the guy's hand._ _

__"Tadashi."_ _

__"Tadashi Hamada?"_ _

__"Yes?" Tadashi hoped this guy didn't recognize him from the obituaries._ _

__"You're on Big Hero 6." Tadashi's eyebrows shot up. This guy definitely had his attention now._ _

__"How did you know that?"_ _

__"I fought you last night." The inventor's gaze pierced the guy in front of him._ _

__"You work for Callaghan," he growled. Travis nodded._ _

__"Yeah, and I know your brother."_ _

__"Where is he?" Tadashi snarled, and leaned forward threateningly. Travis hid a smirk and held up his hands; with the shape this guy was in, there was no way he could hurt him._ _

__"Easy there. I want to help."_ _

__"Huh?" Tadashi was a bit confused. "But you work for Callaghan."_ _

__"It's called being a double agent. Trust me, I have experience." Tadashi tried not to scoff._ _

__"How can I trust you?" Travis had to think about it for a minute._ _

__“Because at this point, you really have no choice,” he whispered. Something in his voice made Tadashi’s gut twist._ _

__“What’s wrong? What’s happened to him?” Travis scratched his beard._ _

__“He’s not in good shape,” the villain admitted. “Callaghan’s been hard on him. He won’t be able to escape on his own.” Tadashi’s face turned even more pale._ _

__“Please,” he whispered. “What can I do to help him?” Travis’ heart ached for the man in front of him who just wanted to save his little brother. He sighed inwardly._ _

___I’m sorry Marcie, he thought. But if it comes down to it… ____ _

____“Lucky for you,” he replied with fake confidence. “I have a plan.” Tadashi glanced up and sat forward, interested._ _ _ _

____“What is it?”_ _ _ _

____Travis laid it out. The next time Callaghan left the island, Travis would contact Tadashi and get Hiro ready to leave as soon as his brother arrived._ _ _ _

____“There are a few other members of the team that would be willing to help Hiro escape, but only if we could have plausible deniability.”_ _ _ _

____“Why?” Tadashi asked._ _ _ _

____“Leverage,” Travis admitted. “Callaghan has something over all of us. If it’s even possible, I’d like to help your brother and get paid.” Tadashi was silent for a moment, then quietly asked,_ _ _ _

____"What does he have on you?" Travis chuckled._ _ _ _

____"Besides being able to turn me in for previous crimes? Pregnant girlfriend. This is my last job and then I'm done," he replied with a wave of his hand. Tadashi nodded, mildly impressed with this guy._ _ _ _

____"Good luck to you."_ _ _ _

____"Thanks." They exchanged numbers, Travis stood to leave, and then said, “Hey, what's Hiro's favorite thing from here?"_ _ _ _

____"Um, cream filled doughnut. Why?"_ _ _ _

____"I think I'll take him one. Anything you want me to tell him?"_ _ _ _

____"Tell him... We're coming for him; we haven't given up."_ _ _ _

____"You got it." He stuck out his hand and Tadashi shook it. "I'll be in touch."_ _ _ _

____::::::::::_ _ _ _

____Hiro's mind probed the darkness, trying to decide if it was worth it to wake up. Very faintly, he could hear voices, but they were obscured like he was under water or something._ _ _ _

____That thought alone was enough to make him come to. His eyes shot open and he sat up before he could stop himself._ _ _ _

____"Argh!" he shouted._ _ _ _

____"Whoa! Easy there Hiro." Ryan was sitting next to him. "How you feeling?" Hiro's breathing started to slow down and he asked,_ _ _ _

____"What happened? Where am I?" He looked around the unfamiliar bedroom from the unfamiliar bed he was in and spotted Shizuko in the far corner, though she came over as soon as she realized he was awake. Things started to come back; contacting Gogo, trying to escape, and then his punishment. He shuddered involuntarily._ _ _ _

____"Was Travis here?" Hiro vaguely remembered hearing him and then things got hazy. Ryan nodded._ _ _ _

____"Yeah, he and Shizuko found you. And good thing too. You took quite a beating."  
For the first time, Hiro took a good look at himself. He noted he was in someone else's hoodie and sweats and that there were some heat packs in the bed with him as well, then carefully took stock of his injuries. His whole upper right arm was covered in bandages as were most of his legs. His ribs were wrapped professionally and he found he could breathe somewhat normally. There was also the huge bandage on his face.  
He gently felt his side._ _ _ _

____"How bad is it?" he asked quietly. Ryan sighed._ _ _ _

____"Three broken, one cracked, several others bruised. I did what I could, but there’s not much else I can do," he admitted._ _ _ _

____"Thanks," Hiro said. "For fixing me up." He directed this to Shizuko as well and she gave him a small, sad smile._ _ _ _

____“How long have I been out?” he asked._ _ _ _

____“About four hours since we got you out of that room,” Ryan replied._ _ _ _

____"Does C-Callaghan know I'm out?" he asked. His pulse started to speed up again; him knowing would just make things worse. Ryan shook his head._ _ _ _

____"Nah. We left shortly after Callaghan had, uh, taken care of you, but we had to split up and regroup after Big Hero 6 attacked." Hiro perked up at this. "No one else is back yet as far as I know." At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Shizuko peered through the peephole and opened it for Travis._ _ _ _

____“I’m back and I brought food! Hey Hiro. Glad to see you’re awake,” he said as he passed out breakfast. Hiro didn’t reply right away; he was looking at the bag._ _ _ _

____“You went to The Lucky Cat Cafe,” he muttered._ _ _ _

____“Yep. Here. These are for you.” Travis handed him a blueberry bagel and donut. Hiro took them numbly._ _ _ _

____“But that’s… that’s my aunt’s shop. That’s where I live.” Ryan and Shizuko looked surprised and turned to Travis for an explanation. He too looked a bit surprised._ _ _ _

____“Didn’t know you lived there. I met your aunt though. She’s worried about you. I talked to your brother too.” Hiro sat up straighter and tried to lean forward._ _ _ _

____“Tadashi? You talked to him? He’s- Is he-”_ _ _ _

____“Calm down kid. He’s ok, but could probably stand to eat more. Did you know he’s the leader of Big Hero 6?” Shizuko gasped lightly and Ryan’s eyes widened. Now they turned to Hiro for an explanation._ _ _ _

____“That knucklehead. Of course he is.”_ _ _ _

____“I think you owe us an explanation Hiro,” Ryan interjected, then turned to Travis. “Then you can tell us what you’ve been up to.” Everyone turned to look at him and Hiro sighed before saying,_ _ _ _

____“Technically I’m the one who started Big Hero 6.”_ _ _ _

____He told them about the scholarship contest and the fire, then finding out about his microbots and upgrading him and his friends. Then he explained about finding out his brother was still alive and getting kidnapped._ _ _ _

____“I honestly wasn’t sure if I had imagined that he was alive again. It was only a minute long video call and then all this happened….” You could almost hear their hearts breaking for the kid. He was too young to be mixed up in all this._ _ _ _

____“He told me to tell you that they’re coming for you. They haven’t given up yet.” Hiro couldn’t help but smile a bit. Maybe there was still hope._ _ _ _

____“Thanks.”_ _ _ _

____That hope was dashed a moment later when Kamiko burst in. Everyone was too shocked to move and instead just waited for her to catch her breath, then she simply stated,_ _ _ _

____“Callaghan’s gonna kill you.”_ _ _ _

____Shizuko noticed Hiro’s face turn a deathly shade of pale._ _ _ _

____“I won’t let him,” she stated forcefully. Everyone looked at her in surprise._ _ _ _

____“Did you know she could talk?” Travis whispered to Ryan who shook his head. Kamiko scowled at her sister._ _ _ _

____“I’m not going to either y’know,” she huffed. “He’s furious. Callaghan thinks you’ve escaped,” she said to Hiro. “He sent me to look for you and, well, kill you. But judging by who’s in here, that’s not going to happen.”_ _ _ _

____“I’ve got a plan,” Travis interjected._ _ _ _

____“You’re plans are generally terrible,” Ryan pointed out._ _ _ _

____“Well this is the only one we’ve got to go on. Kamiko and one of you two, keep Callaghan busy and see if you can convince him that Hiro’s dead. I’ll call Tadashi and have him meet Hiro above ground.”_ _ _ _

____“I’ll come with you,” Shizuko told Travis._ _ _ _

____“Guess that leaves you and me, Kamiko. Let’s go.”_ _ _ _

____“Right.” Kamiko nodded to Hiro. “Good luck kid. And, uh, sorry for the grief I gave you.” They left. Shizuko and Hiro exchanged a surprised look that her sister would apologize, while Travis made a call._ _ _ _

____He spoke for a few seconds, hung up, and then turned back to the others. “Let’s go. We need to get Hiro to the top as fast as possible, preferably without anyone seeing us.”_ _ _ _

____“What are we waiting for then?” Hiro said, swung his legs out of bed, and tried to stand. "Let’s-agh!” He clutched his ribs and was about to try and stand again, when Travis simply scooped him up in his arms._ _ _ _

____“Sorry kid, but it will be quicker like this. Shizuko, scout ahead. Make sure no one’s coming.” She nodded and darted out, quickly followed by the two of them. They were running down the hallway when suddenly Hiro whispered fiercely, “Wait! No! Go to my lab!”_ _ _ _

____“Why? We don’t have time-”_ _ _ _

____“Callaghan knows which exit I’d try to take. I found some blueprints of the building, but never got a chance to look at them. They’re in there! Let’s go.” Travis huffed, but made the detour._ _ _ _

____“Where are they?” he asked as they entered the room._ _ _ _

____“On the computer. Let me down.” He set Hiro gently on his feet and helped him to the desk where he quickly pulled up what he was looking for._ _ _ _

____“Ok. So there’s the exit we’ve been using….”_ _ _ _

____“There's another one," Travis said, pointing. “Back the way we came, past the showers.” The door opened and Travis instinctively put himself in front of Hiro, but they both breathed a sigh of relief when they realized it was Shizuko._ _ _ _

____“Sorry,” Travis explained. “We found another exit, back the way we came. Come on.”_ _ _ _

____Travis picked Hiro up again, and they raced back through the hallways. Shizuko turned on her comms, then tapped Travis on the shoulder. She skated backwards as she talked surprisingly quickly._ _ _ _

____"Ryan's keeping an eye on Callaghan; right now he's searching the upper floor, no where near us. Kami says as soon as Hiro’s on top, she'll tell Callaghan she's taken care of him." She raced ahead and the boys were left to process that a) Shizuko was speaking and b) this was really happening._ _ _ _

____They turned a couple more corners and met Shizuko at the base of some stairs. She beckoned for them to hurry._ _ _ _

____Hiro gritted his teeth as Travis ran up the stairs, jostling his ribs._ _ _ _

____"Which way now?" he asked._ _ _ _

____"Straight, then left."_ _ _ _

____Shizuko raced ahead, katana drawn, just in case. Travis ran faster when he heard a muffled shout. They turned the corner and found Blake with a blade to his throat._ _ _ _

____"Travis! What the heck is going on!?"_ _ _ _

____"Hey! Keep it down mate! Shizuko, blade down!" The assassin snarled, but backed off._ _ _ _

____"Listen," Travis explained quickly. "Callaghan's got it in for the kid. We have a chance to get him out. You in"_ _ _ _

____"Callaghan told me to look for the kid, but... You're gonna get yourselves killed."_ _ _ _

____"Which is why we plan on not getting caught. Help us out? Please?" he nearly begged. Blake sighed._ _ _ _

____"I'll take rear. Let's just hurry."_ _ _ _

____"Thank you." They took off again towards the exit and finally, finally found it. Blake and Shizuko wrenched the wheel on the door around until it opened. The glaring sunlight blinded them, Hiro above all._ _ _ _

____They had come out a side door, on the fringe of the forest that covered most of the island. Travis set Hiro down near the trees, then pulled out his phone and sent a quick text._ _ _ _

____"Your brother should be here soon. Take care Hiro."_ _ _ _

____"I will. And thank you guys."_ _ _ _

____"No problem," said Blake. He and Hiro shook hands, then with a deep breath, the ex-acrobat went back inside. Travis gave him a side hug and ruffled his hair before following his friend. Shizuko grinned brightly and gave the young inventor a hug._ _ _ _

____"Good luck Hiro."_ _ _ _

____"Thanks. Be careful, ok?" She winked at him, then ducked back inside, leaving him alone.  
Hiro stood there, on one hand, relishing the sunlight and fresh air, and on the other, jumping out of his skin at every noise. He hoped Tadashi got here quickly._ _ _ _

____Not a moment later, he saw a speck of red growing in the sky._ _ _ _

____"Baymax," he whispered. He waved his good arm above his head and before he knew it, the robot was landing in front of him and the person he never thought he'd see again was sliding off his back._ _ _ _

____"Hiro!" Tadashi yelled._ _ _ _

____"Tadashi!" The brothers basically tackled each other so hard that Tadashi ended up swinging Hiro around._ _ _ _

____"Ow, ow," Hiro muttered._ _ _ _

____"Sorry," Tadashi replied, and they just stood there hugging for a minute. Hiro was sobbing softly and Tadashi had tears streaming down his face as well._ _ _ _

____"You're alive," Tadashi murmured into his brother's hair._ _ _ _

____"I'm alive?" Hiro choked out, and actually laughed. "You're the one who ran into a burning building!"_ _ _ _

____"You're the one who got kidnapped by a supervillain!"_ _ _ _

____"So did you!" They were both laughing now._ _ _ _

____"Come on," said Tadashi finally, grabbing his brother's hand. "Let's go home."_ _ _ _

____They ran back over to Baymax and Hiro noticed that Tadashi hadn't even put on his suit, but was just wearing jeans and a tshirt._ _ _ _

____"Hello Hiro," greeted Baymax as they neared the robot._ _ _ _

____"Hey Baymax."_ _ _ _

____"You are suffering from extensive injuries. I will have to carry you as we fly."_ _ _ _

____"Yeah, sure," Hiro replied, ignoring his brother's worried look. The robot scooped him up and Tadashi hopped on his back._ _ _ _

____"Hold on," said the robot and they were off, across the bay, away from that nightmare of an island, and towards home._ _ _ _

____And for that one moment, everything was perfect._ _ _ _

____But that moment couldn't last forever._ _ _ _


	11. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Home safe and sound! Time for some brotherly bonding.

Cass was nervously pacing the floor of the cafe eating a donut waiting for her nephew to return. He had gotten some phone call then ran off without any explanation. He hadn’t even put on his suit!

“I swear, when he gets back…” she muttered under her breath. 

Finally, she heard the now familiar rush of air that signaled Baymax flying over. A customer approached her, but she pushed by them on her way to the back.

Tadashi was helping Hiro out of Baymax’s arms when Cass got out there.

“Hey Aunt Cass,” Hiro said, catching sight of her as he leaned on his older brother for support.

“Oh boys,” she cried and wrapped them both in a big hug.

“Easy Aunt Cass,” Tadashi warned. She smacked him upside the head and Hiro laughed, until she smacked him too.

“Don’t ever run off like that again! And you!” she said turning to Hiro. “Don’t you ever get kidnapped again!” She gently rubbed the bandage on his cheek and seemed to calm down.

“Sorry Aunt Cass.”

“Won’t happen again.”

“I’m just happy you two are both safe.” She hugged them again and the small, broken family stood like that for a long time. For the first time in who knows how long, each of them felt a sense of peace. Sure, one was hurt, one was recovering, and one had been worried out of her mind, but now, at least, they were together. It was a step in the right direction.

“Pardon me,” Baymax finally said. “But Hiro requires my attention.” Cass stepped back and observed Hiro worriedly.

“Are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m fine Aunt Cass,” Hiro replied, trying to brush it off. “It’s nothing.” None of them believed this (and Hiro could tell), but Cass was a firm believer that kids would talk about stuff when they were ready.

“Okay. Tadashi, you and Baymax will take care of him? I left Mr. McMillan in quite a snit.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Alright. Family dinner tonight and no getting out of it!” Tadashi helped Hiro inside, but before Baymax could follow, Cass stopped him.

“Keep them safe,” she pleaded. Baymax blinked.

“I will do everything I can to heal and keep Tadashi and Hiro from further harm,” the robot replied. “Please, remember to take care of yourself,” he reminded her.

“Thank you Baymax.”

:::::::

“So, what did happen?” Tadashi asked curiously, yet gently. They were sitting next to each other on the edge of Hiro’s bed. Bright afternoon sunlight lit the messy room. The curtain that usually separated their beds was pushed open and, for some reason, that made Hiro smile. The room itself was a mess, but it was home. And at the moment, that was all he wanted.

“Callaghan caught me when I was over the bay on the way to the hospital,” he answered. “He forced me to make suits for his own team. I heard you guys had a run in with them. What happened there?”

He’s not telling me everything, Tadashi thought, but he couldn’t blame him. He hated talking about his own experience, so he couldn’t grudge Hiro for not wanting to talk about his, especially so soon after coming home. He sighed; at some point though, it would all come out.

“We caught them by surprise,” he responded. “Honey and Gogo took on the other two skaters.” Hiro cringed. Gogo would not be happy with him for using her tech. “And I dealt with the flyers while Fred and Wasabi took on Yokai and the big one. Those were some pretty sweet upgrades you gave them.” Hiro felt an odd mix of pride and guilt at the statement. Tadashi nudged him. “Ours was better though.” The brothers smiled at each other, then turned to look as Baymax came waddling up the steps, out of his armour and in full nurse mode.

“I will scan you now,” he announced. “Scan complete.”

“Alright Baymax. How bad is it?” Hiro asked the robot. A little human diagram appeared on his belly, showing Hiro’s injuries highlighted in red. 

“You have multiple lacerations and abrasions on your hands, legs, and face, three serious lacerations on your upper right arm, three broken ribs, two cracked ribs, and four bruised ribs. These,” he said, highlighting them in green, “have been treated.” Nearly all the wounds were highlighted, and those that weren’t were minor cuts and bruises. “I recommend pain medication and rest now, and further examination of your ribs by a professional, later.”

Suddenly, the sunlight didn’t seem as bright. He looked down at his hands, waiting for his brother’s reaction. All he got was a gentle hug and Tadashi saying,

“Baymax, scan me.”

“Scan complete. You are still 28 pounds underweight, are suffering from exhaustion, and are showing signs of PTSD. What you require most is… sleep.”

“Heh. Thanks Baymax.”

“Why’d you tell him to do that?” Hiro asked.

“To show you that you aren’t the only one Callaghan messed up.” Hiro didn’t reply, but did smirk ruefully.

“Hey,” Tadashi told him giving him another squeeze. “You’ll be alright.”

“We’ll be alright,” Hiro corrected.

“Hamada bros?”

“Hamada bros.”

They fist bumped, triumphant in the fact that they could get through this together, when Hiro remembered something. 

“Oh yeah! You haven’t seen this yet! Baymax, fist bump!” the robot complied with a cheerful, “Balalala.” Tadashi laughed.

“That’s awesome. I guess we should call the others and let them know you’re okay."

“Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Tadashi pulled out his phone and made the call. As it was ringing, he off-handedly mentioned,

“By the way, Honey and I are dating now.”

Tadashi couldn’t get a word out, seeing as he was too busy laughing and fighting off Hiro who was pummeling him with a pillow. 

::::::::::

It was a celebratory night in the Hamada household. Cass had consented to let their friends join them for dinner and they all happily ate and chatted over hot wings and barbeque. 

“Nothing is better than free food!” Fred proclaimed loudly, then dragged the recently returned brothers into an embrace. “Except having you guys back!”

“To Hiro and Tadashi,” Wasabi said, raising his glass.

“Hamada bros,” Gogo amended, raising her own.

“Hamada bros,” everyone chorused.

“So how did you get out?” Honey asked. She was sitting next to Tadashi and they were holding hands under the table. She hadn’t stopped smiling since she found out that Hiro was okay.

Tadashi and Hiro both told how Travis had helped them out and Tadashi commented,

“I should probably text him and let him know we got out okay.”

“Yeah.”

“He sounds pretty nice,” Honey remarked.

“What were the other people on the team like?” Gogo asked. Hiro described the other team to them and surprised them all by saying,

“They’re my friends. I mean, they helped me get out of there and were nice to me while I was there.” 

As Hiro talked, Tadashi checked his phone to see if Travis had replied. He had and the message read,

_That’s a relief. The others will be glad to hear that too. ___

__Tadashi asked, _“How are things there?” _____

_____“Hell. Callaghan’s mad, but it’ll be worse if he finds out he’s alive. We’re all hunkered down waiting for the storm to pass.” _____ _ _

_______“Best of luck.” _____ _ _ _ _

_________“Thanks.” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________They left it there, neither one willing to mention, but both thinking that Callaghan still had plans for revenge on Krei._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________If a lightbulb could have appeared over Tadashi’s head it would._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Callaghan wanted revenge on Krei for the death of his daughter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________But his daughter was still alive._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He’d have to slap himself later for not thinking of it sooner, but for now, he was pulled back to reality by a gentle squeeze by Honey._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Everything alright?” she asked. He grinned broadly and kissed her lightly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Never better,” he replied._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________:::::::_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Hiro was feeling the same way. Sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by his friends and family, he felt like nothing could take away this happiness._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The sun had set long ago, and his friends eventually decided it was time to leave.  
“Take care, little buddy,” Fred told him, hugging him again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“See you Hiro,” Wasabi said with a high five._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Honey nearly crushed his ribs again as she hugged him and said, “Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright!” She took a photo with him and Tadashi, then left._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Gogo dragged him into a quick embrace and quietly said, “It’s good to have you back.” And then, “Don’t ever copy my tech again.” He had to chuckle at that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Why don’t you two go to bed? I can clean up down here,” Cass offered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Are you sure?” Tadashi asked. Hiro would have responded, but could barely keep his eyes open as it was. Cass nodded and gestured for them to go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Come on bro,” Tadashi said, nudging Hiro to his feet. Hiro mumbled something indecipherable under his breath, but allowed his brother to guide him up the stairs and into his bed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tadashi sat on the edge of his brother’s bed for a minute and watched him as he fell asleep. With a small smile on his face, he brushed Hiro’s hair gently out of his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“‘Night Hiro,” he murmured then climbed into his own bed and went to sleep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________:::::::::_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Of course the nightmares came. Of course he couldn't have a good night's rest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He was being chased. Didn't know by what, but that didn't matter. It was dark and cold and whatever it was, was gaining on him. His breathing came in labored gasps that turned even more desperate as the slithering of microbots became apparent._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Suddenly, his feet were knocked out from under him and he was plunged into icy water that hadn't been there before. Hiro tried to claw his way to the surface, but there didn't seem to be one. His lungs were searing and the panic he was feeling didn't help. He kept sinking deeper and deeper into the dark until, finally, he landed on solid ground, taking a deep, gasping breath as he did so._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He didn't have any time to savor it though before the invisible force of the bots was upon him, knocking him this way and that until he wasn't sure which way was which, so he ran blindly down the hallway, right into-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He sat up with a start, breathing heavily, his side lancing with pain in the process, but not caring at the moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Ow," he whispered, trying to slow his breathing. Across the room, he heard a quiet inflation noise._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Baymax?" he called softly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Hello Hiro. I heard a noise of distress. May I be of assistance?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Uh, yeah. Could you get me some aspirin?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Of course." The young inventor heard the robot waddle to the bathroom and back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Thanks." He took the aspirin and swallowed it with the water Baymax had brought as well._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"You are welcome." The robot tipped his head to the side. "I am detecting that your heart rate is elevated, and trace amounts of adrenaline, indicating a possible nightmare. Would you like to talk about it?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"No, I'm fine, thanks. What time is it?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"1:15 am," the robot responded helpfully. Hiro groaned and rubbed his face; it was too early to get up, but there was very little chance of him falling back asleep now, no matter how much he wanted to._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Let's go downstairs."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________:::::::::_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tadashi's night was not peaceful either. Actually, most nights since he'd come home hadn't been._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It started out fine. Just a tiny, bright light, glowing in the dark. It was cozy, safe._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________But then it grew._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It seemed to feed on his fear, climbing the walls is his subconscious, taking him back to the showcase, when he realized he'd made the biggest mistake of his life._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Just as the building was about to explode, he found himself safely encased in microbots which, he had to admit, was worse than the fire._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The microbots faded away until he was just left in the dark. No matter which way he turned, which way he ran, which way he yelled, it was the same pitch black as the room that had been his prison. He was trapped and there was nothing he could do about it.  
After what felt like an eternity, he finally woke up. His heart was beating out of his chest, but he couldn't sit up. It felt as though his body was still trapped by the hopelessness from the dream. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Baymax?" Tadashi finally managed to say. No response. "Hiro?" Nothing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He forced himself to keep his breathing slow and steady, determined not to freak out, until finally, he was able to push himself up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Baymax?" he called again as he stood up. The robot's charging station was empty. So was Hiro's bed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tadashi stumbled through the dark room to the top of the stairs and then down them to the kitchen. He was surprised to find Hiro tinkering at the table with the robot beside him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, as he entered the room. Hiro glanced up then went back to work._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Bad dream. You?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Same." His brother pursed his lips, whether out of concern or concentration, Tadashi couldn't tell._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"You want some?" he asked as he grabbed the milk from the fridge._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Sure."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He sat down across from his brother and slid him the glass._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Whatcha working on?" Hiro shrugged. Tadashi sipped his milk and they sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Eventually, he stood up and moved to the adjoining living room and flipping on the TV._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hey, Star Trek’s on.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The normality of the statement startled Hiro from his thoughts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Which one?” he asked. He set down his project and joined his brother on the couch. Baymax waddled after him and sat on the other end of the couch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Next Gen.” Hiro nodded and curled up next to his brother. As expected, it didn’t take to long for either of them to doze off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________And that was how Aunt Cass found them in the morning._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	12. Cooking Things Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ill advised plans and a bit of Tadahoney fluff!

Callaghan was taking this super villain thing seriously and Kamiko would be a liar if she said she didn't enjoy it, just a little bit. 

Sirens wailed in the distance, in the opposite direction of where they were headed. Shizuko was skating in front of and to her left while the boys followed from above. To her right, Yokai surged on the waves of microbots in a predatory fashion; fast, low to the ground, and deadly. The effect was partially ruined by Kenta being carried on a platform of 'bots behind him.

"Split." With the simple command from Callaghan, the five of them split off, ducking into side streets and making their way farther from the chaos they had caused.

Kamiko looked up as Blake dropped a rope for her to grab, which she did.

Once airborne, they soared towards the island. She spun around to look behind them and saw the fire they had caused burning in the distance.

They landed gently by the door, ducking inside as soon as they touched down. First back got first dibs on showers and food after all.

After a quick shower, Kamiko sauntered to the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a classy black top. Ryan and Travis sat on the couch chatting, beers in hand. They acknowledged her with a nod as she made her way to the fridge.

"Any news from the outside?" she asked casually.

"The package was delivered safely," Travis replied.

"What package?" 

Startled, all of them turned to look at Callaghan as he entered the room, with Shizuko and Blake following. Shizuko looked at her sister, who gave her the barest hint of a nod. She smiled in reply, but quickly hid it before going to stand by her sister, the only way to tell them apart being their hair styles; Kamiko's was down while Shizuko's was pulled back.

"Just some odds and ends to send back home," Travis replied.

"Oh yes, how are things there?" Callaghan walked over to the counter and put the coffee pot on.

"Good as far as I know." Callaghan nodded.

"Glad to hear it. Good work tonight team," he said addressing them all. Kamiko smirked as she remembered the explosion they had caused and fist bumped her sister. Ryan was also particularly proud because he had set the explosives, one thing he had missed from the army.

"So what's next?" Blake asked, ever the one to plan ahead. Callaghan poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip before replying,

"On Friday, Krei is being interviewed about the destruction of his new facility. There will be an opportunity to attack as he's driving to the news station. I'll have more details tomorrow, but for now, get some rest; you've earned it." He left, taking his coffee with him. The rest of the team was silent for a moment before Travis broke it.

"Why did he need those chemicals?" They building they had broken into was a Krei Tech lab and before they'd blown it up, they'd stolen some very particular and violent chemicals.

"I don't know," Ryan replied. "But I can't wait to see what he cooks up."

::::::::::::::

Tadashi waited impatiently for the door to open and when it finally did he let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh! Tadashi! Come in," Honey Lemon said.

"I'm so glad you're home," he said as he entered her apartment. Everything was brightly colored, but extraordinarily messy, particularly the kitchen, aka homemade chem lab.

"Sorry about the mess," she said offhandedly, then turned more serious. "Why? Is something wrong?" He heaved a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

"I just need someone to talk to." Spill my guts to more like, he thought.

"Oh, Tadashi..." Honey Lemon drew him into a big hug and he accepted it willingly.  
Don't cry, he thought. You literally walked in here two seconds ago, you are not going to cry.

"Want some tea?" Honey asked, pulling away.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"I'll make some. Take a seat somewhere." He sat down on the couch, moving a pile of laundry out of the way, and accepted the cup of tea his girlfriend handed him a moment later.

"Thanks," he said and took a sip. Honey copied him, then asked,

"So, what's up?" Tadashi ruffled his hair nervously and replied,

"I had a panic attack this morning. Hiro was still asleep and Aunt Cass has enough to worry about...

"So you came here." He sighed.

"Yeah." Honey places a comforting hand on his knee.

"I'm here for you Tadashi. Anything you want to talk about, I'll listen and help any way I can." Her boyfriend smiled a bit.

"Thanks." He took another sip and continued. "Baymax says I have PTSD." Another pause. "I-I did some research on my own about the symptoms and stuff. I made a list of which ones I have." He took another sip, then suddenly growled. "It's just so frustrating. I just feel angry or irritated all the time, at everyone it seems like. But I don't want to be! I've barely managed to keep from snapping at Cass and Hiro, and I know that if I don't get it under control that I'm going to." He took another sip and paused long enough for Honey to reply.

"You might want to talk to Gogo. She has some good stress-relieving hobbies I'm sure she'd be glad to introduce you to. I've heard yoga can help as well." 

"Thanks," Tadashi muttered, but didn't continue.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Honey finally asked. He nodded.

"Panic attacks. I'll be doing the most normal things, and then something triggers a flashback and I can't function for a while. What if it happens during a mission? I just don't want you guys to have to deal with that, or my family, or myself really. Argh!" He flopped back so his head was resting on the back of the couch, craned towards the ceiling. "Thanks for listening Honey."

"Of course. I'm here to help, but, Tadashi, I'm sure your family would like to know what's going on rather than being left in the dark." She paused as Tadashi physically shuddered and he squeezed his eyes shut. His breathing accelerated, but after a few seconds he got it under control. Honey's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, I set one off didn't I? I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. I'm fine. Keep going." 

"Well, it's just, well, think about it. You probably want to know what Hiro went through right? So you can help him." Tadashi nodded. "He probably wants to do the same for you. And you know Cass loves you both a bunch, she'd want to know and help than keep guessing. As for the flashbacks," she said, "you're gonna have to ask Baymax about those."   
Tadashi sighed long and deep.

"I suppose you're right. And I suppose you guys will want to help too?" he asked, referring to the rest of their friends.

"You know us well enough to know the answer to that." She leaned forward a bit and kissed him. "You can get through this Tadashi. I know you can. With all of us there for you, you can do anything." Tadashi couldn't help but smile, then lean in and kiss her again.

"Now that, I believe."

:::::::::::

The little bell above the cafe door rang as Tadashi and Honey Lemon walked in. They were greeted by the rest of their friends in a booth by the window.

“Morning guys,” Tadashi greeted as he sat down next to Gogo. Honey followed him into the booth. Hiro was sandwiched between Wasabi and Fred on the other side. “What’s up?”

“We were just talking about that fire last night,” Wasabi said. “At the Krei lab.” 

“Wonder who could have started that,” Gogo muttered sarcastically. 

“Any idea why they did it?” Tadashi asked.

“I would think a cover up to steal something,” Hiro said. “I mean, they could have just done it out of spite, but I don’t think so. Callaghan’s building up to an endgame.” No one questioned him. After all, he was the last one to have seen or talked to Callaghan.

“The question is what did they steal and what are they going to do with it,” Wasabi said. 

“My question,” said Gogo. “Is why we just don’t storm the island and take Callaghan down.” Everyone was silent as they mulled this over.

“She makes a good point,” Honey finally said. 

“It’s a labyrinth in there though,” Wasabi protested.

“But we have a guide,” Gogo said and turned to look at Hiro.

“Woah, what?” he said. “I am not going back there. Callaghan thinks I’m dead and if he found out I’m not…”

“Hey, we’re not asking you to go back,” Tadashi quickly assured him. “When I was still in the hospital, we hooked up my laptop to Baymax’s feed. We could do that again and you could tell us where to go over the comms.” Fred started to laugh.

“Secret lairs, defeating bad guys, super awesome sci fi weapons? Let’s do this people!”


	13. Boiling Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad plans are put into action.

“Guys, are you sure this is a good idea?” Hiro asked. He was currently watching his friends land on Akuma Island through Baymax’s eyes while he sat at a corner table in the cafe. 

“I agree with Hiro,” Wasabi chimed in, followed by a grunt and “woman up.”

“This is our best chance to apprehend Callaghan without him blowing anything else up. Besides, in case you forgot, we all have a grudge to settle with the old man,” Gogo growled.

“Just… be careful,” Hiro eventually replied. “Okay. Go through that door, but stay quiet.” He had the blueprints of the place next to him on the table. “Take the second left then the fourth right, wait, third right. Kay, now right again and, that door. Wasabi, just cut off the lock. Quietly!” They were cautiously traipsing down the stairs now. “Turn right. This is where you have to be the quietest. There’s a break room farther down this hallway that we, I mean, they generally hang out in.” This is so messed up...Hiro thought. What if they run into Travis or Shizuko or someone? How will they react? “Listen up,” he finally said. “Just get Callaghan and get out. Do not engage the rest of the team. Understand?” Everyone responded in the affirmative.

“What about the ones with my tech?” Gogo asked. 

“Look. I already apologized. And no.” She grumbled a bit under her breath. "Callaghan's lab is somewhere on this floor and it's a big floor, so split up. Tadashi and Baymax, Gogo and Honey, Wasabi and Fred." He pressed a couple buttons on the laptop. "On the last upgrade, I put tiny cameras in your helmets. I just turned them on, so if you're in trouble, I'll know and be able to send help your way."

"Got it."

"Let's do this."

"Good luck guys. Be careful."

:::::::::::

“Man this place is freaky,” Wasabi whispered.

“I know right?” Fred replied, obviously excited. Wasabi glanced at his friend.

"You're weird."

"I know. I own it though," he said, spinning in his lizard suit dramatically. "And you guys said this wasn't science."

Wasabi was about to reply, when he heard something loud, coming their way.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered. Fred opened his mouth, but didn't get a chance to reply as the sumo wrestler they had fought before, turned the corner. Kenta spotted them, and charged without a second thought.

::::::::::::

Gogo and Honey slipped through the halls, listening at various doorways and peering into the ones that were open. So far, everything had looked deserted.

“Find anything yet?” Hiro asked them.

“Nothing,” Honey responded. “How are the others?”

“No trouble so far.”

“I thought I heard something,” Gogo whispered. She skated up to the corner and carefully peered around before quickly skating down that hallway.

“Gogo!” Honey whisper shouted and followed her friend around the corner.

That was a mistake. 

She only had a second to recognize Gogo fighting disk to sword with one of the twins before the other one grabbed her and put a blade to her neck.

“Don’t move,” she warned, then yelled, “Hey!” Gogo glanced over and barely managed to block the next blow.

“Stop!” she yelled, and skated out of reach of the blade. “Let her go,” she told Kamiko.

“Yeah, no. If you know what’s good for you- well, her- you’ll stand down. Drop the disks.” Gogo’s hands curled into fists and Kamiko pressed the blade closer to Honey’s neck. “Now.” 

With an angry grunt, they clattered to the floor. Less than a second later, Shizuko had the tip of her sword to Gogo’s back. 

“Let’s go,” Kamiko said and, releasing Honey, started to herd the two of them down the hallway. Gogo glanced at Honey and they exchanged a silent plan, something they had been working on just in case. Honey gently tapped her purse and silently grasped the chem ball that it gave out, then counted in her head. _3, 2, 1, now! ___

__Gogo dropped low and swept the Twins' feet out from under them, pressing a button to call her disks back to her as she did so. Honey dropped the ball and thick, obscuring smoke filled the hallway, making it impossible to see more than a couple inches in front of you._ _

__Unless of course, you were wearing a Big Hero 6 helmet._ _

__Gogo activated the thermal imaging and could easily see what was going on. Honey had already covered Shizuko’s katana and hand in some sort of goop. Gogo tossed a disk, knocking Kamiko’s wakizashi out of her hand and across the floor, then grabbed Honey’s arm. She started to pull Honey back the way they had come, but Honey pulled the other way._ _

__“They were taking us this way. Must be something down there worth checking out.” Gogo agreed quickly._ _

__“Let’s go.”_ _

__::::::::::_ _

__“Baymax, can you sense anything down here at all?” Tadashi asked as they ran through the halls._ _

__“Nothing. The structure interferes with my scanner,” the robot replied. Suddenly, Tadashi’s headset was filled with Wasabi screaming._ _

__“Giant man! Giant man chasing us!”_ _

__“Fire ball!” There was Fred._ _

__“Oh crap,” Hiro muttered. “Gogo? Honey?”_ _

__“Give us a minute,” Gogo growled. “Stupid twins…” she muttered._ _

__“Wait. So, how many people know we’re here now?” Tadashi asked._ _

__“Three,” Hiro replied._ _

__“Well, that’s not too ba-” Tadashi started, but stopped as he ran into something and fell down._ _

__That something being Travis._ _

__“Woah,” Travis said, stumbling back. “Uh,” he said, taking in the giant robot standing in front of him, then looking down at Tadashi. “Something tells me you aren’t supposed to be here.” He held out a hand and Tadashi pulled himself up._ _

__“You would be right,” he replied, then tapping into comms. “Make that four.”_ _

__“Huh? Is Hiro on there?”_ _

__“Oh, yeah.”_ _

__“Cool. Hey Hiro!” There was some chatter from the other end and Tadashi laughed._ _

__“He says hi back and… some other things, but those were directed at me.” He paused then muttered, “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He turned back to Travis. “Any chance that you could tell me what Callaghan stole from that lab?” he asked, figuring it was worth a shot. Travis laughed._ _

__“Very direct. Nice. All I know is that they were some chemicals I can’t pronounce.” He lowered his voice. “Be on your toes though. He’s planning an end game.”_ _

__“Will do. And thanks, especially for not reporting us to Callaghan.” Travis opened his mouth to reply, but then saw a thin stream of microbots slithering across the floor._ _

__“I think he already knows.”_ _

__:::::::::::_ _

__Hiro cursed at what he was watching. Wasabi and Fred had managed to lose Kenta, and Gogo and Honey had escaped from the twins, but then Tadashi had to run into Travis and now Callaghan was only seconds behind._ _

___We really should have thought this through more, _he thought. He dragged the map closer to him and tried to figure out where everyone was.___ _

____“Wasabi, Fred. Two lefts, a right, then straight. Gogo, Honey, third right, second left, then straight. Hurry! Callaghan found Tadashi. Tadashi, tell Travis to leave; he and the others shouldn’t be involved.” Tadashi relayed the message._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, he’s gonna go find the twins. Oh shoot…” Through Baymax’s feed, Hiro saw the microbots come crawling around the corner, their commander on top. He felt his heart speed up and actually flung the headset off, breathing heavily, trying to get that menacing slithering out of his head._ _ _ _

____Another part of him though, was loudly screaming, “Get that headset back on! You’re friends need you!” With a shaking hand, he put it back on and simply said, “Take him down.” He watched in horror as Tadashi, instead, held his ground and put his hands in the air peacefully._ _ _ _

____“Professor, your daughter is alive.”_ _ _ _

____“Woah, what?” Hiro said, but his brother didn’t respond._ _ _ _

____The masked villain stopped advancing and growled,_ _ _ _

____“You’re lying.”_ _ _ _

____“I swear I’m not. After you left, Baymax detected life signals from within the portal. We went in and brought her out. She’s alive.”_ _ _ _

____The microbots writhed and twitched uncertainly, as if sensing the professor’s confusion._ _ _ _

____“Where is she?” he finally asked. Tadashi lowered his hands._ _ _ _

____“At the San Fransokyo West Hospital. She should be released soon. If you wa-”_ _ _ _

____He was cut off by Honey and Gogo rounding the corner behind Callaghan and Fred and Wasabi coming up behind him._ _ _ _

____“End of the line Yokai!” Fred yelled._ _ _ _

____“Chem blast!” Honey Lemon yelled and tossed a ball right at Yokai. The following explosion was, quite simply, huge. They were all blown back by it and Tadashi didn’t realize he had been screaming until he felt Baymax’s arms around him._ _ _ _

____“We should go.” He just nodded._ _ _ _

____Baymax and the team followed Hiro’s directions out of the facility and back outside, before taking off to the safety of the cafe._ _ _ _

____::::::::_ _ _ _

____Callaghan’s team came running when they heard the explosion. One of the walls had a huge hole in it while the rest of the hall was covered in terrible scorch marks. Debris was everywhere, mostly made up of microbots_ _ _ _

____“Do you think he’s…” Blake started, but then the smoldering mass of microbots in the middle started to move. They dripped down onto the floor and revealed a smoking Callaghan, who coughed and stumbled to his feet. His mask had fallen to the ground and was cracked in two. The team ran forward._ _ _ _

____“What happened?” Ryan asked. “Are you okay?”_ _ _ _

____“Big Hero 6 happened,” he muttered, then coughed. “Change of plans. If what they said is true, my daughter is alive.”_ _ _ _

____“You have a daughter?” Kamiko asked in surprise. Callaghan coughed and nodded._ _ _ _

____“I thought she was dead and it was Krei’s fault, but now,” he said. “We have a new target.”_ _ _ _

____“But what about-”_ _ _ _

____“Forget Krei!” he snapped. “Forget him. All I want now, is that Hamada boy dead and as many of his team as I can take with him.”_ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun!! Thanks so much for reading!


	14. Secrets and Concerns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains Hiro and Tadashi having panic attacks. And also some good ole brotherly bonding.

Simply put, it had been a long day. Everyone had been jumpy as they flew, expecting Callaghan to follow them immediately. But the air and ocean behind them was suspiciously clear of any supervillains. 

They decided mid flight to go to Fred’s instead. His house had become their sort-of headquarters for missions and stuff and it was certainly a less conspicuous place to land than the cafe. 

Heathcliff and Hiro were waiting at the door when they arrived.

“Are you guys okay?” Hiro asked, running up to them. Gogo and Tadashi hopped off of Baymax’s back while the others detached themselves from their various positions. Wasabi fell on the ground breathing heavily; he still hated heights.

“We’re fine,” Honey told him. “Or, at least Gogo, Fred, and I are.” She glanced meaningfully at Wasabi and Tadashi. Wasabi raised a tired hand and gave them all a thumbs up. Tadashi nodded quickly and tensely. 

“Fine. Let’s get inside,” he said. Heathcliff held the door open for them as they streamed in. Snacks had already been set up in Fred’s room for them, which most of them eagerly started to eat. The only one who wasn’t was Tadashi. He muttered something about going to change and ducked out of the room, Hiro following close behind.

“Tadashi!” he called, racing after his brother. At the sound of Hiro’s voice, Tadashi started to run, around the corner and out of sight.

“Hey! Slow down!” Hiro called and followed as quickly as his injuries would allow him. He turned the corner, but couldn’t see his brother anywhere.

“Tadashi? Where are you?” he called. He checked a couple of the doors, but most were just empty bedrooms. Hiro continued along the hall, occasionally peering in doors, hoping to find his brother. 

He thought he heard something and paused, straining to hear it again. There. Hiro looked around for the door it was coming from and finally narrowed it down to a clear glass door, which seemed out of place in a mansion like this.

“Tadashi?” Hiro called softly as he opened the door and stepped inside. 

Ah crap, he thought. Of all places his brother had to run off to, it had to be Fred’s swimming pool. 

The lighting was dim, seeing as the pool wasn’t in use, and the only sound was gently running water that sent shivers up his spine and…

Sobbing. Hitched breathing. Shallow breaths. He spotted his brother curled in a ball by the towel rack on the other side of the pool. Hiro moved around to the other side, attempting to hurry and give the pool a wide berth at the same time.

“I’m coming,” he muttered, trying to keep his cool, when his foot slipped on the wet tiles. He crashed to the ground, crying out in pain as his various injuries screamed at him, bringing back all the original pain and panic.

No, not right now, he thought, gritting his teeth. He tried to stand again, but moved too quickly and slipped again, this time, into the pool.

:::::::::::

Tadashi heard Hiro call his name and he sped up. It sounded too much like that night at the showcase. The explosion was still ringing in his head, which one though, he wasn’t sure. It had taken all his self-control to not break down on the way back from the island and now, he just needed a place where he could let it all out, without his friends noticing.

He ran around the corner and ducked in some doorway without a second thought. He barely registered the pool and simply ran around it and collapsed next to a towel rack. It wasn’t necessarily the best hiding spot, but it was better than nothing.

By this point, Tadashi could barely breathe. His heart was pounding out of his chest, and his ears felt like they were still ringing from the explosion. He drew his knees up to his chest and buried his head in them, covering his ears with his hands, trying to stop that darn sound. Everything was spiraling, spiraling down, down into raging fire and silence.

A splash. A scream. Noises that had no place in his head. 

Somehow, Tadashi forced himself to raise his head and take in his surroundings. The smell of pool water permeated the humid air, filling his lungs and cooling the fire inside him. The sounds of erratic splashing reached his ears, causing him to search the pool for the source. A hand broke the surface, clawing for the edge, but not finding it.

Tadashi swore and leapt into action. He sprinted to the side of the pool, close to where Hiro had fallen in and knelt down. The second his hand broke the surface, Tadashi grasped it and pulled his brother out.

Hiro fell on his hands and knees as he started to cough and then to wretch on the tiles, just trying to breathe again.

“Hiro? Hiro!” 

“It was salt water too…” he choked out, then continued to cough. Tadashi sat there helplessly, patting him on the back, waiting for him to get his breath back. After a moment, he managed to start taking regular breaths, but then began to scream. High pitched, and filled with pure panic.

“Hiro! Hey, Hiro!” Tadashi yelled, trying to get through to his brother. The screaming gradually stopped, but his breathing was coming in heaving gasps.

“Stop,” he cried. “Please, stop.” Tadashi backed off, assuming Hiro was talking about him. He watched as Hiro took the same position he had been in, all curled up and crying softly, “No more. No more.”

“Hiro?” Tadashi asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Hiro jumped a little, but didn’t pull away. “Hiro, come on. Look at me. We need to get you dried off.” Hiro nodded faintly and raised his head.

“Yeah,” he replied, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. “Sorry. Just… sorry.” Tadashi scoffed.

“As if you’re the one that needs to apologize. What happened? I thought you could swim.”

“I can. I just-” He stopped and his face took on a shameful, haunted look.

“Is it about what happened on the island?” Tadashi asked. Hiro nodded. 

“There was this room that Callaghan locked me in that filled with water from the bay. It was pitch black and cold. Sometimes, he’d attack me with the microbots when I was in there. That’s how all this happened,” he said, vaguely gesturing at his injuries, then let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. It felt surprisingly good to tell someone. 

“Wow,” Tadashi said. “Hiro, I don’t even-”

“Let’s not talk about it. At least, not right now. Are you okay?” he asked, looking up at his big brother, who took a moment to remember he had just been having a panic attack.

“Yeah. I’m better now. The explosion that Honey set off at the island really shook me up. Now, what about you? Are you okay?” Hiro laughed shakily and ran his hand through his hair.

“No,” he said, sounding on the verge of tears. “Not at all. That,” he said pointing to the pool. “Is my worst nightmare. I hate feeling like this. Like, like I’m still trapped, even when I’m not. I can’t breathe when we turn out the lights at night and I haven’t even showered since I got back!

“I feel weak.” His head dropped back onto his knees. Tadashi quietly grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around him before pulling him into a hug. Both brothers were quietly crying.

“Well, guess what?” Tadashi whispered. Hiro grunted. “You’re not. At least, not in the way you think you are. We-we both got messed up pretty badly, huh?” Hiro nodded against his brother’s chest. “But we aren’t… damaged beyond repair. We can be fixed, we can fix ourselves. There’s hope Hiro. What do you think?” 

Hiro was quiet for a moment before responding quietly, “You’re right. The best revenge is going to be becoming stronger from this and showing Callaghan that he can’t break us.” Tadashi smiled.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“I still really want to kick his butt though.”

“Of course.”

:::::::::::::::::

“They’ve been gone for a while. Any idea where they went?” Wasabi asked. The others shook their heads. They had all changed out of their suits and gotten their fill of snacks and were now just hanging around. Wasabi and Gogo sat comfortably next to each other on the couch while Fred was spread out on a huge, purple bean bag. Honey, however, was pacing somewhat nervously, fingering her earbuds as she did so.

“Tadashi said he was going to go change I think,” Honey said. “But I also think he was kinda freaked out by how things went back on the island.” Gogo nodded.

“He seemed super tense on the way back.” Honey bit her lip in indecision, but then said,

“You guys should probably know that he’s been having panic attacks. He said most of the time it’s something in particular that triggers them.” Various expressions of concern and pity appeared on her friends’ faces. She looked to Baymax for support. The robot waddled forward and spoke up.

“I can confirm this. While I am programmed to protect patient confidentiality, this could be crucial to Tadashi’s wellbeing. While most people do not appreciate outright pity or sympathy, being considerate of his triggers will definitely be appreciated.”

“Yeah, of course. What are they though?” Wasabi asked. If there was anything he could do to help his friend, he would; Tadashi had been there for him more times than he could count.

“Loud noises, sudden shifts in light and darkness, and occasionally words or phrases related to those things. Also, Tadashi should not be left alone for extended periods of time due to effects from his solitary confinement.” Wasabi whistled. His friend had been through a lot.

“What about Hiro?” Gogo asked from her place by Wasabi. Baymax blinked and tilted his head. 

“What about me?” 

Everyone turned around to see Hiro, being supported by Tadashi, enter the room.

“Dude, what happened?” Fred asked, sitting up. Hiro was dripping wet and wrapped in a towel.

“Let’s just say I found your swimming pool. So, what were you guys talking about?” Baymax was wise enough to keep quiet as the others looked between themselves. 

“We were just wondering where you had wandered off to,” Honey finally said. 

“Uhuh,” Tadashi said, carefully helping Hiro onto the couch before going to stand by his girlfriend. “And you’re sure you guys weren’t discussing our mental health at all?” 

“Well…” said Wasabi. Gogo smacked him in the arm. Tadashi chuckled, then slipped an arm around Honey’s waist and kissed her.

“It’s okay. What have you told them?” he asked her.

“I told them about your panic attacks and Baymax mentioned some of your triggers. Gogo was just asking about Hiro when you guys came in.”

“And don’t even think about saying you’re fine,” the skater warned as Hiro opened his mouth.

“Hey!” She glared at him and he mumbled back, “Fine. I’m not fine.” He turned to his brother. “Do I have to?” Tadashi nodded.

“Just the base facts,” he encouraged.

“We want to help you little dude,” Fred said, leaning forward. The young inventor sighed.

“Alright, but only what you guys need to know.” He gave them the same run down he had given Tadashi.

“So… falling in the pool wasn’t on purpose then?” Fred asked.

“No,” Hiro replied firmly. “No, I never want to do that again. Seriously.”

“Ok,” Wasabi said. “So keep you away from water and the dark. We can do that.” The others murmured their agreement. Baymax spoke up.

“However, currently you need… rest.” Laughter filled the room and Hiro chuckled as well.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Hey Fred-”

“Say no more, little man. I got a guest room and dry clothes with your name on it. Let’s go.” Once he had helped Hiro out of the room, Tadashi relaxed a bit, knowing his brother was being taken care of, and grabbed some of the leftover snacks.

“So what’s our next move?” Wasabi asked. Everyone looked to Tadashi, still seeing him as the leader while Hiro wasn’t there.

“Well, I was thinking-”

“A dangerous pastime,” Gogo smirked.

“I know. Anyway, I was thinking that maybe if Callaghan knew his daughter was still alive he would stop with the whole revenge thing. But I’m not sure he’ll believe us after what just happened.”

“Sorry about that by the way,” Honey murmured, ducking her head. “I might have gone a bit overboard on the explosives.”

“It’s okay. If we could just show him, that she’s alive, we might have a chance, but I don’t know how to do that without putting her, or any of us, in danger.” He leaned back and waited for the rest of the team to voice their thoughts.

“I agree,” said Gogo finally. “But it’s still worth a shot if it means we can stop him.”

“Would Abigail even help us?” Honey asked. Tadashi shrugged.

“We’d have to ask, but I think she’d be on board. She’s probably seen the news reports, so she knows what he’s doing and she doesn’t seem like someone who would back out of a dangerous situation.”

“Well she is the one that volunteered to go through an experimental portal without having any idea what was on the other side,” Wasabi stated in a deadpan way. The others laughed a bit, Tadashi included, until he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out and read the text.

“And we better hurry,” he told the others. “We have less time than we thought.”


	15. Eye of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Showdown time!

It had taken an hour of searching, but Tadashi had finally found his robotics syllabus from the previous year. He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for; Callaghan's phone number.

He had called the hospital to see if Abigail was still there, but they told him that she had just checked out. He had her cellphone number from another class that she was a TA in, but when he had called, no one had answered. Callaghan's home phone number was the next best- and last- chance he had. 

He paced nervously as it rang.

"Hello?"

"Abigail?"

"Sp-peaking."

"Hi. Uh, this is Tadashi Hamada, from physics." 

"Tadashi? W-What are y- I thought you w-were- ugh. S-Sorry. Hyp-per sleep messed up-p my speech."

"No need to apologize. And yeah, I'm alive."

"How?"

"Long story, which I need to talk to you about. Do you think you could meet me at the Lucky Cat Cafe in a half hour?"

"Sure." She paused. "This is about my d-dad, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "Will you still come?"

"Of course. See you then."

:::::::::

Tadashi paced around the cafe as he waited for Abigail to show up.

“Dude, chill,” Gogo told him. “You’ll be fine.” Tadashi hadn’t wanted to intimidate Abigail by having the whole team there, so he’d asked Gogo and Hiro if they’d help him.

“I know, but what are we supposed to do if she doesn’t agree to the plan?”

“She hasn’t even heard the plan yet,” Hiro pointed out.

“Well yeah, but-”

“Stop worrying. Woman up,” Gogo quipped, then glanced out the window. “Here she comes.”

The little bell above the door jingled, signaling Abigail’s arrival. She saw the three of them and made her way over there.

“Thanks for coming,” Tadashi told her and offered her a seat, which she gladly took. "This is my brother Hiro and my friend Gogo."

“No p-problem and n-nice to meet you. What-t d-d-did you want t-to talk ab-bout?" she asked Tadashi, who also sat.

"I'm assuming you've seen the news reports about... your dad and Big Hero 6?" Her mouth was set in a grim line, but she nodded. "Well, we're part of Big Hero 6 and we're looking for a way to stop him." That got her attention.

They quickly summarized what had been happening, then Hiro explained their plan.

"That-t sounds d-dangerous-s," Abigail finally replied. "But we d-don't have anoth-ther choice. I'm in." Tadashi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Meet us at the SFIT campus tomorrow at noon then." Abigail nodded, then checked her watch.

"I'll b-be there. G-gotta g-go th-though." The others bid her farewell and she left.

"Now we just got to make sure "Big Villain 6" will be there," Gogo remarked.

"Leave that to me," Hiro said, cracking his knuckles with a smirk on his face.

:::::::::::::

Travis was relaxing on the couch in the common room when his helmet, which was on the coffee table, began to talk.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Travis quickly put it on.

"Hello?"

"Got one taker. Anyone else on here?" 

"What's going on?" That was Kamiko.

"Who is that?" Blake.

"This is the current leader of Big Hero 6, Tadashi Hamada. Could we get Professor Callaghan on the line?" There was a pause as everyone waited expectantly. The comms crackled as someone joined the conversation.

"What is the meaning of this?" Callaghan asked.

"Hello Professor. Glad you could join us. As the leader of Big Hero 6, I'd like to formally invite you and your team to a final showdown on the SFIT campus tomorrow at noon." The villains waited for their leader's response and were surprised when he laughed.

"You think you can just challenge me like that-"

"Yes. I do.” 

“And why do you think so?” he asked. He sounded irritated.

“Because your daughter is alive, like I told you, and she’ll be there.”

“And why should I believe you after you tried to blow me up?” There was a pause.

“That was an accident,” Tadashi replied, a bit sheepishly. “And I promise you, she’s alive and well; I just spoke with her today. So will you come?” There was a long enough pause that no one thought he was going to reply.

“Fine,” Callaghan finally responded. “We’ll be there. I’m ready to end this.”

:::::::::

Tadashi and Baymax flew over SFIT campus, scanning below for potential threats and advantages in the upcoming fight. He could see his friends below, clearing out the last of the buildings and making sure everyone was in the clear.

“Looking good guys,” he told them.

“Any sign of them?” Honey asked. He scanned the horizon, but didn’t see anything.

“Not yet.” Suddenly something caught his eye on the ground. “Gogo, someone’s headed your way. I think it’s Hiro.” He was supposed to stay in the car out of danger. He watched as she turned and zipped over to him. Some quick words were exchanged.

“Yeah, it’s Hiro,” Gogo said. “He said Abigail called him. There was a car accident on her way here and traffic’s basically stopped. She’s not gonna get here in time.” Tadashi felt a worm of unease creep into his stomach.

“That’s okay. Baymax and I can go and-” Something slammed into him and Baymax which sent them tumbling through the air. Baymax managed to level out and they began to spiral to the ground.

“What the heck was that?” Tadashi yelled, heart still beating frantically in his chest.

“Well you should know Tadashi. After all, you’re the one that invited us.”

The young hero looked up and made eye contact with the dark holes in Yokai’s mask. For a moment, Tadashi’s vision clouded with red as the rage inside him nearly erupted. This was the man he had trusted for years. The man who had mentored him personally, then left him to die in the dark. But above all, this was the man who had hurt his little brother, damaged him body and soul. And he was sorely mistaken if he thought Tadashi would let him get away with it.

“Tadashi.” Baymax’s calm voice brought him back to the present and he took a deep breath to clear his mind.

“Get Hiro out of here,” he muttered through the comms, then returned his focus to the team of supervillains in front of him. “Professor,” he greeted curtly. Callaghan was perched on a pillar of microbots and descended to meet them as they finally landed. One of Baymax’s wings was severely bent out of shape. There would be no flying to get Abigail now.

Callaghan lightly stepped off the bots and onto the ground revealing the rest of his team behind him. Hunter gave him a small salute from his spot in the air. The worm of unease grew; it wasn’t good that their enemies had air support when they didn’t.

“I came. Now where’s my daughter?” Tadashi gritted his teeth; Callaghan wasn’t going to like this.

“Stuck in traffic,” he replied honestly. The microbots shifted into a more offensive position, coiling like snakes, and Tadashi heard his team come up behind him, braced for an attack. 

“If you can give her time to get here or-”

“Shut up!” The professor spat. “You tell me my daughter is alive, then throw a bomb at my face. You tell me to come here and…” He trailed off and when he spoke again his voice was low and deadly.

“Hiro Hamada.”

Tadashi couldn’t help himself. He turned around.

Apparently Hiro hadn’t been able to make it off campus in time. His brother stood next to one of the campus’ statues, cell phone gripped in his hand by his side, a pure look of terror on his face.

But Callaghan wasn’t interested in Hiro at the moment.

Kamiko held her ground valiantly as Yokai turned to look at her.

“I thought you said you got rid of him.”

“I don’t murder children,” she stated firmly. 

The thief didn’t stand a chance as Callaghan suddenly swung a column of microbots, thick as a tree, at her. She somehow managed to dodge it once, but wasn’t so lucky a second time. It struck her firmly in the back and was flung nearly fifty feet into a nearby building with a sickening crack.

For a moment everyone was frozen with the inability to do anything.

Shizuko was the first to break it. Tears streaming down her face and face twisted in inarticulate rage, she let out a bloodcurdling cry and charged at Callaghan, spurring everyone into action.

“Baymax!” Hiro called and sprinted to where Kamiko lay. Baymax looked at Tadashi, who nodded in reassurance; they’d be fine.

“Let’s take him down,” he called through the comms, then charged at his old mentor.

Callaghan was having a much harder time hitting Shizuko than her sister. She was a full powered, blade wielding tornado who refused to let anything get in her way.

Something must have passed between Callaghan’s team because they were all fighting against Callaghan as well. 

“What are you doing?” Callaghan shouted, attempting to push them all back. “Stop this now or you’ll never get your pay!”

“At this point, kicking your butt will be much more satisfying, you sick jerk,” Travis replied. “This is for Hiro!” The others echoed his cry.

“Need a lift?” Tadashi looked up and found Blake hovering above him.

“Sure.” He grabbed the rope Blake let down and held on tightly as the thrusters kicked in, carrying them above the fight and nearly directly over Callaghan.

It was quite an intense scene from above. Callaghan was at the center of the cloud of microbots, which extended like tentacles, grappling with each member of his team. From here, he could see how hard he was struggling to keep them all at bay; Callaghan had been counting on fighting six on six, not one on ten.

“Stop,” he told Blake. “This is good.”

“Want me to get lower?”

“Nah, I got this. I hope.”

“What are you-”

“Thanks for the lift.” Tadashi let go of the rope and plummeted straight towards the eye of the storm.

:::::::::::::

Hiro was at Kamiko’s side in seconds. His side was on fire from the sprint, but who cared.

“Baymax!” Hiro called again, then the robot was there.

Kamiko did not look good. She wasn’t moving at all, heck, Hiro couldn’t even tell if she was breathing. She had multiple scrapes and bruises, including a nasty head wound that was bleeding profusely.

“Scan complete,” Baymax announced; he was in full health care mode. “Injuries include: broken spine, concussion, and several fractures, along with minor cuts and bruises. Internal bleeding detected. Condition is critical.”

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Hiro said, whipping out his phone.

“Already done,” Baymax replied. “But they may not get here in time. I will do what I can. Hiro, you need to get to safety.”

“No! I can help. I can’t just leave you guys… are you kidding me?!” Hiro had been keeping an eye on the fight and turned just in time to see his brother plummet towards the center of microbots.

::::::::::::

As Tadashi fell, he pressed a button on his gauntlet and felt his hair stand on end as electricity crackled across his suit.

Just in time to ram into a pillar of microbots.

He braced himself just before he started to plow through the bots; Callaghan must have seen him coming.

He landed with a thump in a pile of deactivated bots and began to climb to his feet. More microbots started to creep up on him, but he was ready, if a bit dazed.

Through the swarm attacking him, he could see Yokai continuing to fight against his friends on the outside. Tadashi could feel the hate that pulsed behind the repaired mask and it scared him a bit.

And yet, as the inventor slashed and electrocuted his way through the bots, all he could think of was getting close enough to Callaghan to make him pay for everything he had done.

But then there was that small, stupid voice that whispered, give him one more chance.

“Professor!” he shouted. “Your daughter is on her way! Please stop this!”

“I don’t care what you have to say anymore,” he replied. “All I want, all I want is you and your brother dead!”

The ferocity behind the words (and the words themselves) stopped Tadashi in his tracks for a moment. Whoever this man had become, it wasn’t his professor anymore.

He started fighting again, trying to regain lost ground. He was tiring fast; his body was still recovering after all. The voices of his teammates filled his comms, asking where he was.

“I’m near Callaghan,” he responded. “How are you guys doing?”

“Good.”

“Ok.”

“Not dead.”

“Good to hear. Keep it up. Honey, see if you can do something to distract Yokai for a minute.”

“On it! Plug your ears!” she cried as a chem ball came flying into view.

“I’m wearing a helmet!”

“Whoops!”

The ball hit the ground between him and Callaghan and exploded with the effects of a flash-bang grenade. Though his ears were ringing and he could barely see, he could feel the microbots around him scrambling around like static, so he took the chance to force his way through.

In the center of the swarm, he saw Callaghan clutching his ears in pain and took the chance to punch him in the jaw.

It felt really good.

The villain stumbled backwards and nearly fell over. Tadashi didn’t stop there though. He pressed his advantage, throwing punches and kicks again and again and again, forcing Callaghan further and further back.

Just give up already! Tadashi thought, beginning to pant. I’m not sure how much longer I can-

He stopped.

He swore silently.

He should’ve pressed harder, should’ve been smarter. But all he had done was give Callaghan time to find his weakness.

And now a knife was sticking out of his stomach with Callaghan still gripping the handle. He twisted and Tadashi screamed. He could barely hear his friends as they shouted through the comms.

“Who was that?”

“Who’s hurt?”

“Not me!”

“Or me.”

“That leaves…” 

“Me…” he choked out, consciousness starting to fail him. Callaghan withdrew the knife with a sharp pull, eliciting another scream from Tadashi. Everything felt hot and cold all over.

“Hiro,” he gasped quietly, then everything went black.


	16. Tales and Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Resolution.

“Unbelievable,” Hiro cried as his brother divebombed the microbots. Did his brother want to die? What did he think he was doing? In no time, Tadashi had disappeared behind the curtain of bots. Muttering under his breath, Hiro ran back over to the statue where he had left his pack and started rummaging around in it. He looked up in time to see Honey throw something and a second later, heard the explosion. The bots were momentarily useless and his friends took that moment to press forward as much as they could. Glimpses of Callaghan and his brother could be seen now and for the moment Tadashi was holding his own.

“Aha!” Hiro triumphantly pulled out a headband, similar to the one he had originally made for the showcase. He knew time was short, so he quickly pulled out his laptop and the plugged the headband in. His fingers flew across the keys as he tried to latch onto the other headband’s signal. If he could do that, his would be the only headband that work, which would give him control of the microbots and the fight.

His head snapped up at the sound of a terrible scream. Scrambling in his pocket for his earpiece, he put it on just in time to hear Tadashi say, “Me…” Hiro’s blood ran cold as another scream rent the air, coming from the center of the fight.

“Tadashi!” Hiro yelled, panic in his voice. His computer dinged, signalling that the first headband had been located and was in the process of being hijacked. When it was done, Hiro’s would be the only one that worked.

“Hurry up, hurry up,” he urged. It dinged again. Now all he had to do was put it on and-

He yelped in surprise and terror as something grabbed him around the waist and lifted him into the air.

“No! NO!” he screamed and struggled against the black tendrils that were quickly encircling him, but it was no use. In no time, he was bound fast, the unactivated headband lying on the ground below. Also lying on the ground below, was his brother, sprawled on his side with blood pooling around him.

“Tadashi!” Hiro screeched. “Tadashi!” What had Callaghan done? What. Had. He. _Done? ___

__He didn’t see the professor on the ground anywhere, so he turned to scan the sky and yelped as he found Callaghan perched directly in front of him._ _

__Fear and anger battled within him for dominance as he struggled against his bonds, whether to get away from or get at Callaghan, even he didn’t know._ _

__Suddenly, Callaghan gripped his jaw in his hand, forcing him to stop moving. Hiro could feel himself starting to hyperventilate._ _

__“You should be dead,” Callaghan told him. “You and your brother,” he said, with a meaningful glance below them._ _

__That did it. With an impetuous tug, Hiro pulled his head free and smashed it into  
Callaghan’s mask, then spit on him for good measure. Hiro thought he heard Travis cheer._ _

__Callaghan growled as he wiped it off._ _

__With the professor distracted for a moment, Hiro glanced around, looking for a new angle and a way out. Honey and Fred were on the ground next to Tadashi, trying to stop the bleeding. Wasabi was helping Baymax with Kamiko, but Gogo, Shizuko, and the rest of them were trying to get to him and Yokai, but the villain managed to keep them at bay. Hiro’s rage induced adrenaline started to leech away as he realized that he was on his own._ _

__A flash of silver caught his eye and suddenly a knife was at his throat. He found himself forced to stare into the dark holes of the mask and immediately started to shiver._ _

__“Cold, boy?”_ _

__At that moment, Hiro’s life was saved by the sound of squealing tires below. A woman hopped out of hastily parked car, and dashed over, stopping next to Hiro’s laptop._ _

__“Dad!” Abigail yelled. Callaghan’s head whipped around, but he kept the knife at Hiro’s throat._ _

__“Abigail? She’s… alive?”_ _

___That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you! _a tiny voice in Hiro’s mind screamed. He managed to keep his tongue though, and nodded carefully, ever aware of the proximity of the blade.___ _

____Part of him was desperately relieved though. Abigail was here; that would make everything better, right?_ _ _ _

____He was wrong. Callaghan was gripping his head and muttering things under his breath, trying to come to terms with this new development. As the mutters grew louder, Hiro realized that they hadn’t doused the fire, but rather lit the fuse._ _ _ _

____“No, no. She’s dead. He killed her. I’ll kill him. I’ll kill Krei.” His gaze snapped back to Hiro. “But you,” he growled. “You first.”_ _ _ _

____“Abigail!” Hiro cried, trying to shy away from Yokai. “The headband by your foot, put it on!”_ _ _ _

____Abigail looked around and spotted the headband. She picked it up, pressed a small button on the side, and put it on._ _ _ _

____Immediately the pillars of microbots started to crumble. Hiro started to fall, but was quickly caught under the arms by Travis._ _ _ _

____“Thanks,” he breathed._ _ _ _

____“Don’t sweat it.”_ _ _ _

____No one made a move to catch Callaghan. Abigail threw out her arm and the microbots obeyed, catching her father before he hit the ground._ _ _ _

____Two ambulances pulled up to the scene, quickly followed by a number of police cars._ _ _ _

____Hiro watched the organized chaos from the sidelines in muted silence. All the fight had left him and he felt absolutely exhausted._ _ _ _

____In the center of the rushing paramedics and flashing lights stood Abigail and her father. With tears streaming down her face, she gently removed his mask. Hiro saw him say something, but couldn’t hear the words. She wrapped him in a giant hug and a moment later, the police escorted him away._ _ _ _

____"Hiro!" The voice broke his stupor and he saw Honey beckoning him. Some paramedic as had put Tadashi on a stretcher and were loading him into an ambulance. His heart skipped a beat and he ran over and hopped in the back as Honey explained to the paramedics who he is and why he's there. He noticed Shizuko standing next to the other ambulance as the medics worked furiously to stabilize her sister._ _ _ _

____"Excuse me." Hiro's head snapped up as he realized there was a police officer there that had been standing there for a while._ _ _ _

____"Sorry. Can I help you?" The officer smiled kindly._ _ _ _

____"I'm gonna need to ask you a few questions sir." In the background, one of the paramedics said they were ready to go._ _ _ _

____"Yeah, sure. I'll tell you everything you need to know, but can we do it at the hospital? I need to go there with my brother." The officer peered into the back of the ambulance and nodded._ _ _ _

____"Sure. We'll be there anyway to keep an eye on the Fujita Sisters."_ _ _ _

____"Huh?"_ _ _ _

____"You do realize that all of these people are criminals, right?" Behind him, Hiro could see the rest of Callaghan's team being cuffed and taken away while his friends argued with the other police officers._ _ _ _

____"But, they saved my life! You can't arrest them!"_ _ _ _

____"Hm. We'll have to hear more about that later. See you at the hospital."_ _ _ _

____::::::::_ _ _ _

_____Beep...beep...beep. ____ _ _ _

______Tadashi groaned. It couldn't be time to get up yet, could it? He blearily opened his eyes and blinked against the harsh light. Where was he?_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Look who finally decided to wake up." Hiro's smiling face popped into view. "Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Shut up..." he groaned. "What... Why..."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"You got stabbed, knucklehead."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Oh...yeah. So hospital then?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Yep. Again," Hiro added forcefully. Tadashi hummed in response as he started to doze off again. But then his eyes widened as everything came rushing back._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Are you okay? What about the others? Callaghan?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Calm down," Aunt Cass said. She was sitting on his other side. "Everyone's fine," she smiled, but it didn't quite convince her nephew. They might both be acting unconcerned, but lines of worry we're etched in their faces. He felt a twinge of guilt at being the cause of that worry._ _ _ _ _ _

______Hiro quickly filled him in on what else had happened._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I'm glad you guys are all right," he said when his brother was done._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Well, trust us. We're happier that you're okay. You lost a lot of blood."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"How long was I out?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"43 hours," Cass replied, checking the clock._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Sorry..."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Judging by the bags under your eyes, you needed it," Hiro pointed out._ _ _ _ _ _

______"So what happened to Callaghan's team?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Kamiko's still in intensive care, but the doctor's think she'll make it. Shizuko's hasn't left her side at all and just glared whenever the officers tried to talk to her. Travis, Blake, Ryan, and Kenta are in custody. They're going on trial at the same time as Callaghan next week. I'm testifying," Hiro said. "They're hoping you'll give a statement as well."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Of course."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"We may have also used some of your scholarship money to hire a really good lawyer for them." Tadashi rubbed a hand over his face._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Unbelievable."_ _ _ _ _ _

______::::::::::::::_ _ _ _ _ _

______Callaghan’s trial was all over the news. He was charged with two cases of attempted murder, multiple cases of destruction of property, kidnapping, and child abuse, and after all of Big Hero 6 (though that information wasn’t made public) and Big Villain 6’s testimonies, there was no doubt in the jury’s mind that he was guilty. He was sentenced to forty years to life in prison._ _ _ _ _ _

______As for the others, Kenta couldn’t escape his previous crimes and was given ten years in prison, cut down from the original twenty due to his help in defeating Callaghan._ _ _ _ _ _

______As for Travis, Blake, and Ryan, their lawyer had managed to get them straight onto parole due to their previous military service and their instrumentation in Callaghan’s defeat and helping Hiro. Shizuko and Kamiko would get the same thing, but with the addition of tracker bracelets and a hefty fine._ _ _ _ _ _

______And of course with the revelation that Professor Callaghan was alive, came the inevitable reveal that Tadashi had survived as well._ _ _ _ _ _

______“So. Much. Paperwork,” he groaned, smacking his head on the table in time with the words. Honey Lemon rubbed his back sympathetically._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Quit whining. This is less than what we had to do to get into SFIT in the first place,” Gogo said. Tadashi grumbled in response._ _ _ _ _ _

______There was a knock at the door and Cass got up to open it._ _ _ _ _ _

______Everyone called out greetings as Blake, Travis, and Ryan entered the shop. They’d brought, or rather forced, Shizuko to leave the hospital for a bit and come with them and she gave everyone a tiny wave. There was another woman that had her arm linked with Travis. Her skin was a warm, medium brown and she had beautiful long black hair and dark eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Everyone,” Travis said, getting people’s attention. “I’d like you all to meet my fiance, Marcie.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hello,” she said with a friendly smile and a slight Indian accent. Travis quickly introduced the others while Hiro and Wasabi helped Cass bring dinner from the kitchen; they’d invited everyone over as a way to celebrate this whole thing finally being over. Cass had made hot wings (Hiro’s favorite) and sushi (Tadashi’s favorite) and Marcie had been kind enough to bring dessert for everyone._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I don't know about you guys," Blake said. "But I haven't had sushi like this since-"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Maine '98," they all chorused and broke into laughter._ _ _ _ _ _

______"What?" Hiro asked them._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Well you see there was this one time, in the circus..." Blake and Ryan were laughing too hard to even try and stop him. By the time he was done, everyone was in tears from laughing so hard._ _ _ _ _ _

______"And that was the time I accidentally ate the lion's food," he finished._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Even I've never heard that one!" Marcie cried._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Wait, you told her our circus stories?" Blake asked, offendedly._ _ _ _ _ _

______"How could you?" Ryan cried._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I'm gonna marry her!" Shizuko chuckled and smacked him lightly upside the head. He rubbed it and faked glared at her._ _ _ _ _ _

______More stories were told by the trio and they soon got in a competition with the SFIT students over which stories were crazier, circus stories or lab stories. By the time they were done, Hiro was really looking forward to going to SFIT again and extremely glad he’d never joined the circus._ _ _ _ _ _

______Overall though, it was a great night. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Fred, Tadashi, and Travis got along famously as did Wasabi, Blake, and Gogo. Ryan and Honey Lemon got into a conversation while Cass jumped from one to another. Hiro sat in comfortable silence with Shizuko._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Thanks,” he said finally. She looked at him quizzically. He shrugged. “For everything. For being nice to me on the island and, y’know, helping me get out and taking down Yokai. Just… thanks.” Shizuko smiled brightly and ruffled his hair. He smiled a bit in response._ _ _ _ _ _

______“How’s Kamiko?” he asked. Shizuko sobered up a bit, but gave him a hopeful look. “That’s good,” he replied. “Tell her thanks for me.” Before he could say anything else, Shizuko had him wrapped in a giant hug. Hiro laughed and hugged her back._ _ _ _ _ _

______He looked around the table and couldn’t help but smile. Maybe something good had come from this after all._ _ _ _ _ _

______:::::::::::::_ _ _ _ _ _

______“So, you excited to go back to school?” Hiro asked his brother. Tadashi had just reentered the room from brushing his teeth and Hiro was sitting on the edge of his bed. His arm and his face were still bandaged, but other than that, he was looking a lot better than he had a week ago._ _ _ _ _ _

______The same could be said for Tadashi. He was three pounds away from reaching his previous weight and his stab wound was healing nicely._ _ _ _ _ _

______As for their mental health, it was still pretty bad, but they were getting better everyday._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, I am. I’m excited to do something normal.” He sat down next to Hiro and nudged him. “How ‘bout you? You excited to start?” Hiro nodded._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah. I’m ready to move forward. And from what I heard in those stories tonight, it’s gonna be a blast. Literally.” Tadashi laughed._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I guarantee it will be.” He ruffled Hiro’s messy hair. “‘Night Hiro.” He went to stand up, but his younger brother stopped him with a hug. Though he was kinda confused, he returned it._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Thanks.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“For what?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Coming back.” Tadashi didn’t know if he meant coming back from the dead, coming back to rescue him, or coming back from his latest injury, but he supposed it didn’t really matter._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You’re welcome,” he replied. His mind quickly flashed through the moments before and after the fire and the long, dark days that followed. Then just as quickly, memories from tonight and working with his friends and family again came rushing in. “I’d do it all over again y’know.” Hiro nodded against his chest._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I know.” He let his brother go. “Don’t forget to turn the nightlight on.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yup. Baymax.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Nightlight activated.” The robot’s charging station (where he was currently deflated), in the corner began to emit a soft yellow glow._ _ _ _ _ _

______“‘Night Hiro,” Tadashi said as he climbed into bed._ _ _ _ _ _

______“‘Night Dashi,” Hiro replied. The young inventor snuggled under the covers, relishing in the warmth and comfort of the blankets. He glanced over at his brother, who was already snoring away, and relished the fact that he was alive and there. They’d fought through pain and heartache and darkness, not to mention actual bad guys, and come out on top._ _ _ _ _ _

______When Hiro thought about it, the whole thing was pretty unbelievable._ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! It was fun to revisit this fic and I hope you all enjoyed it! I have another BH6 fic that I'll post the first chapter of after this one goes up. Again, thanks so much!


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